Life & Work with Emily Bailey of West Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily K Bailey.

Hi Emily, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to a family of two wonderful parents and a sister I consider my best friend. I began dancing when I was six, and I really did not enjoy any aspect of it for the first three years. The moment that all shifted was when I began performing at the age of nine in the Contemporary Ballet of Pennsylvania’s Nutcracker. I haven’t stopped since then.

Following that, it’s been a whirlwind of ballet. It has consumed my life in the best, and sometimes worst, ways. Despite the worst, I wouldn’t change anything. Dealing with various chronic illnesses in my teenage years, coping with traumatic experiences, mental health drawbacks–everything that kept me moving forward in my life revolved around ballet in some capacity.

Ballet is one of those worlds that you can’t make it far if you don’t have an insane work ethic and drive. There are so many aspects of it that are wildly brutal– trying to tough it out without having a profound passion for it doesn’t happen.

I moved to Nashville by myself at nineteen, following a summer intensive training program to join Nashville Ballet’s Professional Training Division. I had taken a gap year prior, after graduating high school, working three to four jobs, and saving up to afford to pursue the profession that I have been chasing my entire life. Since moving here, my adoration for art has grown to an unprecedented level. I am now a trainee with Nashville Ballet II and am part-time faculty with the School of Nashville Ballet.

Another one of my passions unfolded here in Nashville as well. Modeling has always been a love of mine, and I’ve had to opportunity to explore that further since moving here. Exploring commercial modeling, editorial styled shoots, and meeting photographers and stylists with a wide background continue to be an exciting addition to my life. I signed to Tribe Talent Management in 2020, which was a fantastic milestone. Regardless of where I am, I find my life surrounded by people who love the art they make, and it’s a marvelous thing to be around.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Simply put, hell no.

It’s no secret that ballet has high standards. The people I meet who know almost nothing about it can tell a slight elitist and vain semblance to it all. While there is so much more to this balletic world, there is that underlying draw of its demands. The romanticism of suffering to create beautiful art is something that I think will plague ballet dancers for far longer than it should. Perfectionism, rampant eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are all painfully common issues in this environment. There is no better place for them to thrive than in a space where we work in millimeters, strive for flawlessness, and stand in front of mirrors picking apart everything wrong with ourselves from eight to five pm, six days a week for the entirety of our lives. To expect good mental health with those circumstances is laughable. Bringing it back to what I aforementioned, to love it so much, makes it beyond worth it–at least for me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
From what I’ve been told, my biggest strengths in ballet lie in commanding the space. Being tall (5’9.5″), it’s pretty difficult not to take up space when you’re moving. I spent most of my dancing life trying to minimize that, but since coming to Nashville Ballet, I feel like the artistic staff have done an incredible job getting me to use everything I have to my advantage. I also have extremely archy feet and hyperextended legs, a commonly sought-after thing in the aesthetics of the ballet world. While pleasing to the eye, it makes stability and strength much harder to secure. I have to do a ton of training outside of my regular day at the ballet to ensure I’m increasing my strength daily.
I also am a jumper. My favorite part of the class is grande allegro (large jumps) and going with the men in the class at a slower tempo, meaning you have to jump higher and be in the air longer. If I were to die mid-grand jete, I would die happy.

What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest are the places I find peace. In the ballet studio, on my yoga mat, in front of lights and a camera, laughing with my family at old stories, singing in the car with my closest friends, that feeling of the sun hitting your skin, floating farthest out in the ocean being bobbed up and down by the waves (specifically Ocracoke, NC). All of these things fill my entire body with gratitude, and that’s happiness for me.

Pricing:

• private ballet lessons: $75 an hour
• model booking: $100 an hour

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilykbailey/
• Other: http://tribetalentmanagement.com/portfolio/models-women-commercial/women/1801760/emily-bailey

Image Credits
Brad Schelton Photo: https://www.instagram.com/scheltonphoto/ Mike Saunders: https://www.instagram.com/mikesaun/ Bellissimo Dance Boutique: https://www.instagram.com/bellissimodanceboutique/ David Morel: https://www.instagram.com/davidlmorel/