Meet Shira Lanyi - The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.

Hello! My name is Shira Lanyi, I am a professional ballet dancer with Richmond Ballet in Virginia.  This is my 19th year performing in Richmond Ballet's The Nutcracker; this year I will perform the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Butterfly, and the Snake.

I began dancing with The School of Richmond Ballet when I was 8 years old.  My very first teachers were Mr. Jerry Weiss and Ms. Susan Massey, who together play the Grandfather and Grandmother in the party scene of The Nutcracker. 

I first began with only ballet classes about once a week for the first year.  However, in order to be more well-rounded, my parents decided to enroll me in jazz, modern, and character classes as well.

I realized I wanted to pursue ballet as a career when I was 15 years old. I was accepted into American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensive Program in New York City.  I spent the summer glued to the windows of the studios watching unbelievable professional dancers rehearse all day and perform at night.  We were given very inexpensive tickets to see performances at Lincoln Center, so I took advantage of that privilege.  The performance that really stole my heart and made me decide to want to be a professional ballerina was the ballet Giselle, performed by Julie Kent that summer.

I rehearse about 8 hours a day 6 days a week.  It takes a lot of practice and rehearsal to ensure that our performances are flawless.

Yes, I did study dance all the way through my senior year of high school.  I began dancing when I was 8 years old, and at the time attended the Rudlin Torah Academy in Richmond.  As I became older, ballet began to take up a lot more time in my schedule, so I had to make a lot of sacrifices as a young student.  I couldn't always go to sleepovers or birthday parties because I had to spend extra time doing homework since I was devoting a lot of my free time to ballet lessons.  I attended summer programs away from home starting at the age of 11.  I attended Virginia School of the Arts, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Boston Ballet for several summers.  I learned a lot through these programs and was also exposed to new dancers and styles while I was away. It was a wonderful learning experience.  Once I reached high school, balancing school and ballet became even more difficult.  I attended the Maggie L Walker Governors School, where school work was very rigorous.  While attending high school, I was also a trainee with the professional company of Richmond Ballet.  This required a lot of focus, dedication, perseverance, and patience.  I was then offered an apprenticeship with Richmond Ballet in 2005, when I was a graduating senior.
 â€¨â€¨What do you enjoy to do when not dancing ?

I love to bake! I am an avid cook and really enjoy spending time creating in the kitchen.  I also love to swim!

The path to become a professional ballet dancer is a rugged climb, but with determination, focus, and a passionate heart, you can reach the top.