To Dream the Nearly Impossible Dream

By: LiliAnn Paras | March 31, 2021 |  , Entertainment |  Middletown

FEATURED PHOTO CREDIT: James Jin

Meet Professional Ballet Dancer, Lauren Bonfiglio

Do you remember having big dreams for a spectacular career in the arts or in sports? Do you also remember the sinking realization that it takes extremely rare talent, incredibly hard work, and personal drive to fulfill this nearly impossible dream?  Fortunately, Lauren Bonfiglio of Middletown possesses these requisite characteristics. As a child, she set two goals: to become a professional ballet dancer, and after seeing Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera House, to be accepted at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York City. With laser focus and a deep love for dance, she achieved both goals and she now is enjoying her seventh year in the ABT’s corps de ballet. This did not happen overnight. Lauren has been training and dancing for 21 years-and she is only 24! Despite her impressive accomplishments, Lauren maintains a grounded perspective and a well-rounded life. CM met with Lauren to learn about her journey, the vigor of professional dance, the challenges of the pandemic, and what lies ahead.
 

CM: How did your love of dance begin?
Lauren: I began dancing in Red Bank at The Academy of Dance Arts when I was three years old, under the direction of founder Jennifer Church and Directors Shayne and Nick Mishoe. I trained primarily in classical ballet, but also took character, modern, and tap classes. I started performing on stage when I was six years old and loved every aspect of it, particularly the acting required in the various roles.

I participated in annual performances at Count Basie Theater and Two River Theater. I would also dance in the living room of my house in pointe shoes, before I was even “on pointe”, rotating CDs of the Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty, performing every role and variation for my parents and brothers.

CM: Describe your journey that led to dancing with ABT.
Lauren: I attended the ABT Summer Intensives for three consecutive years starting when I was 10. At age 12, I was invited to join ABT’s year-round program, The Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis School, under the direction of Franco DeVita. From there, I worked my way through the levels of JKO, joining ABT’s Studio Company when I was 16, and becoming an apprentice with ABT when I was 17. I received a full corps de ballet contract shortly thereafter and I’m currently in my seventh year with the company.
 

PHOTO CREDIT: James Jin
 

CM: Before the pandemic, what did a typical week of training entail?
Lauren: Pre-COVID, a typical week of training would start with a daily ballet class for an hour and a half to warm up and fine tune technique, followed by six hours of rehearsal, usually working on five or six ballets at a time. When we are performing, we have a similar structured day with a two-to-three-hour show tacked on. ABT has two seasons in New York City at Lincoln Center, along with touring engagements internationally and around the US. Throughout the week or on a day off, I work with a personal trainer and a Pilates instructor and also make time to take care of my body with regular massages and acupuncture sessions for recovery.

CM: How has the pandemic affected your training?
Lauren: This past year has certainly taught me that it is possible to dance anywhere! Working from home-for a profession that spends up to 12 hours a day moving, turning, and jumping around a spacious studio or a stage like the Metropolitan Opera House-certainly brought about its challenges! I spent the first six months of the pandemic “dancing” on a 4×6 dance floor in my parents’ basement before I was able to be return to a ballet studio. Every morning, the dancers would meet on Zoom with an instructor for a daily ballet technique class (modified for a small space) which provided sanity and structure to those long and uncertain days. It is unlike any other profession. We spend so much time together rehearsing, performing, and traveling the world together. So, this abrupt halt to being in each other’s presence was quite tough, but Zoom provided a way to connect.

CM: Did performances continue?
Lauren: In place of cancelled performances, ABT has been doing “ballet bubbles”.  Dancers are taken in small groups to a location to safely create new choreographic works to be used for digital content or small in-person performances, which has been great. There is nothing like a live performance with an orchestra, but the online content provides entertainment for those who have missed the theater, along with hope for the return to the stage someday soon.

I’m staying positive, dancing as much as I can, and making it work. I look forward to the day we can pack 100 people into a studio at our beloved building 890 Broadway again.
 

PHOTO CREDIT: James Jin
 

CM: Given your schedule, do you ever get back to Monmouth County?
Lauren: I moved to New York City when I was 17 years old, when I became a member of ABT. With the pandemic, I spent more time in Monmouth County at my parents’ home. It has been so lovely to experience Monmouth County as an adult, making visits to our beautiful parks and beaches. Driving past Oak Hill Academy brings back memories of my friends and teachers. Being able to use the studios at The Academy of Dance Arts has been a blessing. While visiting Red Bank and walking by Count Basie Theater, heartstrings were tugged. It was the first stage I stepped foot on in The Sleeping Beauty and where my love for this art form was sparked.  My journey to dance with ABT required a lot of discipline, strict schedules, and missed birthday parties. From a young age, I was so passionate about ballet and gladly made the sacrifices. I was fortunate to have so much support from my family and friends who always accepted how busy I was dancing and still loved me!

CM: Have your perceptions about dance, and the way you experience it, changed through the years?
Lauren: My perceptions haven’t changed too drastically. I’ve been dancing my whole life and the routine of arriving at ballet class, standing at the barre, hearing the beautiful classical music, learning choreography, and performing, have remained rituals from when I was a student to now as a professional. Today, when I dance, watch ballet videos, or even just listen to the orchestration of music, I’m totally enveloped in a feeling that I can’t describe, but recall feeling when I was younger. There was obviously a transition from student to professional and that happened at a young age for me. Entering into an environment and sharing space with experienced dancers who had been in the company for up to 30 years came with themes of accountability, a learning curve, and unexpected realities. But I think these are all concepts young people face when they start working, although my day-to-day doesn’t feel like work, it’s a real privilege.

CM: The perception is that dance at your level is intense and competitive although your joy shows on your social media posts. Is this perception accurate, and if so, how do you cope with the intensity?
Lauren: There are moments where it can certainly be competitive and intense, but my love for my artform outweighs these challenges.  And, ABT is a very close-knit family. We spend so much time together rehearsing, performing, and traveling the world together. There are performances when twenty-four women in the corps de ballet are on stage dancing in complete unison of body and breath, yet we all have unique attributes.  These are times that make our sisterhood that much more special and I’m so grateful to dance alongside the strong and gorgeous women of ABT. I truly have the best and most talented colleagues who put a smile on my face every day.
 

PHOTO CREDIT: James Jin
 

CM: What challenges have you faced?
Lauren: There are difficult realities I’ve faced in my career, but they’ve made me into a better dancer and a more honest artist. I’ve been injured twice and had to honestly assess whether my body would take me through a career, but I only became mentally and physically stronger because of them. I’ve received my fair share of tough love, but this has made me more eager and motivated. I remind myself of the position that I’m in, dancing at one of the most prestigious classical ballet companies in the world, my dream company no less. I post pictures and videos on social medaia that feel like myself, so I hope to provide a positive and fun look into the life of a professional dancer. There is so much to love and learn, and so much that has yet to be accomplished, that I’m just so inspired.

CM: Which particular performance(s) of yours is most memorable to you and why?
Lauren: Generally, our performances at our home theater in New York City, the Metropolitan Opera House, are my favorite. ABT loves performing for audiences everywhere, but our New York spectators have an energy that’s just so palpable. Specifically, my favorite ballets to perform are the classics like Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, La Bayadere, and The Sleeping Beauty, just to name a few! I have such tremendous respect for these timeless works, and feel the stories, characters, themes, and lessons that they embody can in some way be relatable to us today.

CM: Do you see yourself eventually experiencing dance in a different capacity, for example teaching? Or beginning a completely different career?
Lauren: I see myself going down either path! I’m currently working on my business major at Fordham University, so keeping my options open.

CM: If there is even any free time, what do you enjoy doing besides dancing?
Lauren: I like cooking, learning about wine, staying active, and spending time outdoors! I also enjoy traveling, and one of the perks of being at ABT is that I’ve been fortunate enough to visit and perform at the world’s most beautiful opera houses in Rome, Moscow, London, Brisbane, Paris, Oman, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In the US we typically tour to Southern California, Chicago, Washington, DC, and some Midwest locations. We live in a beautiful country and I hope to see more of it, and I’m looking forward to dancing on the world’s stages once again in the near future!

Visit Lauren on Instagram, @laurenbonfiglio.
 

See this story in print!

Colts Neck – Holmdel – Lincroft Edition – view here.

Rumson – Fair Haven – Little Silver – Red Bank – Locust – Sea Bright Edition  – view here.