The Dandelion Chandelier Luminary Café is the place to find a series of personal interviews with fascinating people who are stellar achievers in their chosen field of endeavor. Our Luminaries are sharing their origin stories, life philosophies, secret songs, guilty pleasures and hidden talents. It’s guaranteed to be illuminating.
Lauren Lovette is a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet (NYCB). Born in Thousand Oaks, California, she began studying ballet at the age of 11. In 2006, after taking courses there for two summers, she enrolled full-time at the School of American Ballet – the official school of the NYCB. She became a member of the NYCB corps de ballet in 2010, was promoted to Soloist in 2013, and became a Principal Dancer in 2015.
She’s also the brilliant and spirited visionary behind a new ballet making its world premiere at New York City Ballet’s black-tie fall gala at Lincoln Center on Thursday, September 28th. At 25, she’s already a proven choreographer: her first work for NYCB, For Clara, premiered at the 2016 NYCB Fall Gala. This summer she created a work for the Vail Dance Festival. Her second piece for NYCB is called Not Our Fate, and it could not be timelier. It’s a meditation on discord and anxiety; the forces that can conspire to diminish some members of society; and the ways in which it is still possible to forge authentic emotional connections with others, and to step into the light.
On a sun-splashed balmy Friday afternoon in mid-September, we sat down at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center for a chat with Lauren.
Tell us your life philosophy in 10 words or less.
Go for it, without the fear of failing.
How did you decide on your career direction?
I wanted to explore a creative side of myself without words. Ballet was the perfect outlet into a life of meaning for me. I think that’s why I love it so much.
Who lights you up?
I would have to say my boyfriend and my closest friends here in NYC. I like to keep positive and honest people close – like family. I also love animals. I have two rescue cats – Boon (as in something good that has happened to you) and Jerry (but not from Tom and Jerry, because Jerry was the mouse! He’s named after a character my boyfriend was playing when I met him). We don’t know how old they are, but Jerry is twice the size of Boon.
How do you like to celebrate?
My favorite gift to myself is an active day with absolutely no plans.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Where would you stay?
New Zealand! Because of Lord of the Rings. I don’t know where I would stay, because I’ve never been there before. But I would want to be someplace natural.
What’s the last new food item that you tried for the first time? Did you like it?
Nutritional yeast. It looks like yellow macaroni and cheese powder, and the name sounds bad. But vegans need B vitamins, so I tried it. I actually like it, and now I put it in sauces and sprinkle it over meals. Eight months ago, I transitioned to being a vegan. That was mostly driven by wanting to feel healthier: I had a minor health issue, and some allergies, and overall I was feeling exhausted. I was doing choreography, teaching and dancing, and it was wearing me out. I used to eat a lot of protein – I could devour a huge steak. Now I have a lot more energy, I sleep better, and it’s forced me to eat regular meals instead of trying to live on only one or two meals a day.
What song is on your playlist that people would be surprised by?
Eminem’s “Till I Collapse.”
What’s your favorite form of exercise?
Dancing! When I’m not doing that, I like yoga, Pilates and I do some weight training at the gym. I hate running. I’m also not fond of tennis, which is really mostly just running – I need more jumping, I guess!
Who is your favorite artist?
JR. I know him personally, and I love that he sees the big picture. I like his messages. He is doing things that no one else is brave enough to do. Like his new piece in LA, with the baby looking over the border wall. The last time I saw him we were in Paris, and he asked me to come along with him on an excursion. On the way we stopped to get some photographic gear, and it turns out we ended up on someone’s roof, taking pictures. Afterward, I said “Wasn’t that trespassing? Isn’t that illegal?” And he just laughed and said “Of course it was!”
What are you reading right now?
The HBR Guide to Being More Productive. I’m not the best at time management and organization. The book describes different personality profiles and helps you hone in on what activities are actually going to make you more productive based on that. I’m also reading Plant Strong, a book on vegan eating. It’s written by a firefighter, Rip Esselstyn. He makes a fact-based case for improving how you feel and your overall health with thoughtful eating habits. It has really worked for me!
Tell us about your style.
It depends on what job I have in the day! But if I’m just being myself on a day with no active dancing, I lean towards classic looks with a lot of neutral tones. I love a simple pair of good fitting jeans and a T-shirt.
What is your favorite item of clothing? Who’s your go-to designer?
I rely on my 110 Percent brand compression socks to protect my legs. I also like boots. My favorite pair is from Steve Madden – they have a little heel and I bought them probably 10 years ago. I wear them all the time and I just got the heel repaired. I am never giving them up.
What’s your dream car?
A Mustang. Because of my dad. I want the one with the diagonal lights, not the vertical lights. I think it’s from sometime in the 2000s. That was my dad’s first car.
What are you looking forward to?
I am so looking forward to my ballet debuting with New York City Ballet this fall. I also can’t wait to visit my sister in North Carolina.
What skill do wish you had that you don’t currently possess?
I don’t have a driver’s license. I wish I knew how to drive a car. I would also love to be able to play the piano, speak Spanish or French, and I would love to take painting lessons.
What’s your hidden talent?
I think I cook pretty well. I’m spontaneous. My ideal situation is like Chopped. I love just having a pile of ingredients and seeing what I can make out of them. I was my dad’s sous chef growing up. Earlier this year, I planted some green onions that I got from the supermarket in pots on my windowsill, and I find myself snipping something off of them and cooking with it all the time.
What’s the most extravagant thing you ever bought?
I think the most extravagant thing I ever bought was a vacation to Turks and Caicos. It was worth every penny.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
One year I got a stereo with a CD player for Christmas from my dad. But the best gift I ever received was when I was 5 years old and for Christmas my parents gave me a red velvet heart-shaped box with a little silver plate on top, and inside were 12 different rings. I thought “I am the luckiest person in the world!”
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Quiet time, for sure. To just sit. And I always feel guilty about it. I just started meditating, and when it lasts longer than 10 minutes I start to worry that I should be doing something more productive. I also like to eat. But I don’t feel guilty about it.
What does luxury mean to you?
Luxury is enjoying your work and your play equally. Luxury is having time to stop and enjoy a sunset on an average day without fear of tomorrow. Luxurious living is being fully present and able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Photo Credit: Erin Baiano
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