By: Rachel Richardson, member of ABT’s Corps de Ballet

This [past] week, ABT [was] on tour performing The Nutcracker in Costa Mesa, California. Here’s what a normal day in my life looked like!

  • 8:30 am – Wake up – Recently I’ve been reading a lot in the morning before I get out of bed, I love reading and it’s nice to have time to relax so I don’t have to rush in the morning. Once I get out of bed I eat breakfast in my hotel room, get dressed and then walk over to the theater.
  • 11:00 am – Company Class in the studio – I like to arrive 45 minutes to and hour before class starts to give myself time to get ready for class.
  • 1:00 pm – Nutcracker Flowers rehearsal on stage – We have a half an hour break after class before a 30 minute rehearsal for flowers.
  • 1:30 pm – Act 2 Giselle rehearsal – An hour rehearsal in the studio for willies. We perform Giselle in Oman in April.
  • 2:30 pm – Costume fitting in the Wardrobe department – The company has been having lots of costume fittings for our upcoming ballet Whipped Cream by Alexei Ratmansky. We will premier the ballet at this same theater in March. After the fitting I get lunch at Panera which is right by the theater.
  • 3:45 pm – Rehearsal for Czardas from Swan Lake – This rehearsal is onstage in character shoes. We finish this rehearsal at 4:45 and we have a break until the show starts at 7. I walk back to the hotel and eat.
  • 6:15 pm – Return to the Theater – I get ready for the show by doing my hair and makeup and a short warm-up. Tonight I’m performing as a snowflake and in the waltz of the flowers.
  • 7:00 pm – Performance – After the show I get dinner and then hang out for a bit in the Hot tub. Almost every evening there are dancers in the hot tub.
  • 11:00 pm – I head back to my room for a shower and bed!