Top Ten Ballet Instagram Accounts

Ok so, there are about a million ballet Instagram handles out there. Or at least it seems that way. I should know, as a ballet dancer myself, my explore page is full of them. From prima ballerinas to wanna be students, you can easily fill up your Instagram feeds with images of long legged ballerinas and turning video after turning video after turning video.  

The problem is, with so many people to choose from it is hard to select specific people to follow. I personally like to follow dancers or ex-dancers that like to share behind the scenes information and also show a bit about their well-rounded personal lives.

I like to get to know a person before I follow them. Call me old fashioned, but that is just how I feel. I also like to laugh and learn from the people I follow. That is why I created this list. You can easily stumble upon beautiful photos of self promotion. If that is what you are looking for I can create a list of those too. But this list is comprised of my top ten favorite ballet Instagram accounts for the reasons provided below:

1. Ballet Moods (@balletmoods): This might be every professional dancer's favorite Instagram account. It is full of memes highlighting the ups and downs of company life. They have 40.3K followers and even have some cool t-shirts with their best memes for purchase. This account is also popular because there was a mystery surrounding who actually owned the account. My theory is that it is a male dancer from the Joffrey Ballet. 
2. Kurt Froman (@kurtfroman): Kurt Froman is a former dancer with the New York City Ballet and current dance and movement coach for films. The most recent film he worked on was Red Sparrow coaching Jennifer Lawrence. I love this account because he shows behind the scenes photos and videos from his current film projects. Also his account is full of archival videos of both New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. I don't know how he has access to all of these rare videos, but I couldn't be happier that he decided to share them with us. 
3. Biscuit Ballerina (@biscuitballerina): This account is run by Shelby Williams, a soloist with Royal Ballet of Flanders. She is actually an incredible dancer and you can see that by checking out her personal account (@shelbybiscuitlife). However, she is also fantastic at making herself look like a truly terrible dancer. Her biscuit ballerina character is hilarious. This persona boasts about her skills onstage but the videos show her in all of her biscuit glory. This is a must see to believe kind of Instagram account. 
4. Michaela DePrince (@michaeladeprince): Michaela was born with vitiligo in Sierra Leone, where both her parents died during the civil war. She discovered ballet by picking up a dirty magazine caught in the wind near her orphanage. She was later adopted and placed into ballet, and is now a soloist with Dutch National Ballet. Her Instagram is full of inspiration and encouragement for ballerinas everywhere.  
5. Isabella Boylston (@isabellaboylston): Isabella is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theater. Her account is comprised of gorgeous photos of her stunning ballet bod along with a lot of behind the scenes shots of her preparing for future roles. She recently started a book club, which I love. Yes, ballet dancers read! My favorite thing about her account is her friendship with James Whiteside, number six on this list. 
6. James Whiteside (@jamesbwhiteside): James is also a principal dancer with American Ballet Theater and friends with Isabella (they call themselves the Cindies, it's super cute). My favorite thing about James' account is that he moonlights as a drag queen and isn't afraid to push gender boundaries. He is also currently dating Milk who was a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race. 
7. Paul Solari (@pauliosovari): Since my favorite dancer/photographer account is no longer active (@dalberda), I selected Paul to be number seven on this list. His account is full of behind the scenes shots of the Staatsballett Berlin. Most of the artistic photos are black and white closeups of dancer feet and tutus. They beautifully show both the artistic and the athletic side of ballet. 
8. Steven McRae (@stevenmcrae_): Not only is Steven a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, he is also a doting husband and father of two. His page is full of ballet, fitness, and fatherhood. He beautifully documents the joy of being a father. He is also currently showing his recovery from his injury, which is inspirational to me because I am also currently recovering from injury. 
9. Ashley Bouder (@ashleybouder): Since we have a ballet dad, we should also have a ballet mom! Ashely Bouder is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Her page is full of ballet shots, politically charged posts, and adorable photos and videos of her daughter Violet Storm. My favorite videos are the ones of Ashley getting ready for a show with Violet sitting on her lap. This is one ballet mom that proves she can do it all. 
10. Jenelle Manzi (@jenellemanzi): Jenelle is also a dancer with the New York City Ballet. However, what I like most about her page are the recipes she posts. Jenelle bakes everything with natural, energizing, and indulgent ingredients. After years of dealing with food allergies, she has created recipes that help her body get through a difficult work day, but also taste amazing. I would know, I have personally tasted a few of her treats!

There are many other ballet Instagram accounts out there that I love, but the list above is comprised of just my top ten, with my favorite definitely being Ballet Moods. This list contains a little bit of everything, and I made sure to add in something for everybody. The point here, is that ballet dancers are more than just ballet dancers. We have other interests like books, philanthropy, feminism, healthy eating, and even drag. I find it refreshing to see ballet dancers as well rounded human beings. 

Follows these dancers and let me know what you think!