-SPENDING THE DAY WITH LILY-

Is it time?
Can we do grand allegro
in the studio yet?

“I’ve been dancing in my living room and pushing the furniture back ever since I was really little so it honestly hasn’t been that different for me… I always say this, ‘I was born for quarantine... I was made for this.’”

-- Lily Gentile

Is it time?! When can we get back to dancing in the studio!?
When can we perform again?!
While most people were asking these questions
early on in quarantine, Lily was not.

Part of our Social Media Power program, and a beautiful dancer, Lily is smart as a whip, charismatic, and one of the most genuine people you could ever meet. We sat down with her to talk about what this experience has been like for her.

Like dancers everywhere

Lily was concerned with how dancing at home was going to impact her training. Her trick? Keeping her ballet instruction consistent, cross training, and finding her new routine. Now that 4 hours of her day are not consumed by commuting from Connecticut to NYC for her ballet training, it has given her the gift of time, which she uses to make sure she is properly warmed up and ready to go. Her teacher, Erin Forrest, had her class up and running on Zoom two days into quarantine; talk about adjusting to the situation quickly! Lily said, “One of the things I’ve noticed is because we are spending so much time focusing on classwork, we’ve been able to dive into so many more details because we have the time now to do that. So I found that, and revisiting the basics, has been super beneficial, and just building the foundation of my technique” Her training at home has consisted of 4 hours a day, 5 days per week, with a daily technique class, followed by an additional pointe or variations class. Of course going the extra mile, she takes an additional contemporary class or Graham class from Kanyok Arts Initiative on the weekends.

A major drawback to taking class at home for Lily is not quite enough marley, or space. While home is not ideal for these conditions, she is happy with her setup. Lily had a great perspective on her situation, “I’ve been dancing in my living room and pushing the furniture back ever since I was really little so it honestly hasn’t been that different for me… I always say this, ‘I was born for quarantine... I was made for this.’” I think we all wish we had a little bit more of that mentality for our time at home!

One of the hardest things about being at home for Lily? Not seeing her friends and classmates in person, she explains, “Dance is such a communal thing, and I really feed off the energy of my classmates. So when you’re home you’re forced to be your own motivating factor…”

When asked if she had any advice she could’ve given herself at the beginning of quarantine, “I would say just to keep myself motivated and inspired. Just know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” Good advice for everyone!

A little bit of light for Lily and us, we got to do a social distanced shoot together! Check out the BTS Highlights on the @RachelNevilleFamily page on Instagram, and enjoy the final shots below!