A Tale of Love Between Two Companies

Two ballet companies, both alike in dignity,

In fair New York City where we lay our scene,

...a pair of star-cross'd lovers meet and fall in love. 

Photo of Lincoln Center in New York City including The David H. Koch Theater (left) and The Metropolitan Opera House (right).

Please excuse the butchering of the prologue of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (with certain modifications by me), but the following story is a tale of two ballet dancers from rival New York based ballet companies and their love story. I promise this one has a happy ending! (Well so far, at least.) 

Once upon a time, there was a man who danced in American Ballet Theater. Let's call him "J." He was thirty years old, devastatingly handsome, charming, and not to mention a great ballet dancer. He had recently returned to the stage after an injury that almost ended his dance career prematurely. He made a full recovery and was back to his glory on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center. 

Enter a woman, a brand new dancer with the New York City Ballet. Let's call her "K." She had big eyes that soaked up her new environment like a sponge. She was only twenty years old and had her whole career in front of her at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. Little did she know that the love of her life was just across the plaza. 

K and J finally met one fateful night on the roof of a friend's apartment building. They were introduced by a mutual friend. They flirted a little but to no end, because K was intimidated by J's status, and J didn't want to get involved with a younger girl at that point in his life.

However, fate kept bringing them together. They continued to casually bump into each other at the neighborhood dancer hangout, until one night they exchanged numbers. Then they kept bumping into each other on purpose, while still playing it cool (of course). 

In January of 2010, K invited J to her friend's 21st birthday party. It was an innocent invitation, or so K thought. J however, thought she extended the invite because she wanted him there as her romantic interest. All in all, by the end of the night they decided to go on their first date. 

After their first date they couldn't get enough of each other. They shared a lot of interests. Obviously their love for ballet being one, and they enjoyed debating about different ballet styles and techniques into the wee hours of the night. It was exciting, because it was somewhat of a forbidden love. 

Cross company dating barely happens. The reason is that the two companies have completely different performance schedules and every spring ABT and NYCB compete in Lincoln Center. Both ballet companies perform every spring in Lincoln Center right across the plaza from each other. They share the same audience members and every night it is a competition to see who sells the most tickets, and who has the best show. 

It was difficult at first. They had to learn how to mesh their friend groups from both companies. They also had to learn how to balance their work schedules, so they could schedule date nights. But they loved each other, and always found time for each other. K and J discovered that they actually had the best of both worlds. They shared the same experiences of company life, but they didn't have to work together. They could keep their work lives separate, but they each understood the sacrifices necessary to work for a major professional ballet company. It was the perfect match. 

Eventually J retired and K supported him through his career transition. The relationship has continued happily for eight years. Finally (said all of their friends and family) in April 2018, J asked K for her hand in marriage. And they lived happily ever after!

Vale Jewelry 

The key to their success you ask? They claim it is because they both have a passion for ballet and understand the stresses of working in a major ballet company, but they never worked together. They have the luxury of sharing in the same crazy ballet world, but they always left their personal lives at home, instead of dragging it into the office everyday. 

The moral of this story is DO NOT DATE WITHIN YOUR OWN DANCE COMPANY. Just don't do it. It barely ever works out. I have seen many a work relationship crumble in front of my eyes. They get sick of each other, because they spend all day, every day, together. I believe it is important in a relationship to be your own self. To have to have your own interests and your own passions. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. That saying was developed for a reason.

I realize the temptation is almost too hard to resist. You are kept in close quarters with other company members all day long. There is touching and emotions are always running high. It is also super convenient to date somebody you work with, because you don't have to put yourself out there on your one night off, and you don't have to arrange your schedule to make time for them. 

However, if you learn anything from this, my true love story, learn that it is possible to find love outside of the company. It doesn't have to be a dancer from another company it could be somebody in finance or a rockstar. Either way, just please don't dip your pen into the company ink. It isn't worth the pain and heartbreak. And remember if you break up, you still have to dance alongside that person every day. 

Make the extra effort to find the person that is right for you. It is possible to have it all!