Alexandra Reyser is a dancer, Laguardia High School alumni, and current honors student at Baruch College. She has been dancing for over 15 years and has performed in countless roles and recitals. She has worked with many respectable dancers and teachers. Alexandra has used her dancing talents for good; during high school, she started an organization called Arts for All Hearts in which a group of talented students, including her, perform for those who need a bit of cheerfulness in their lives. She is going to be in a rendition of The Nutcracker this December. As a Baruch Honors student, Alexandra plans on majoring in math.
When did you first start dancing?
I first started dancing in Russia when I was three years old and then when I moved here I continued it.
So you originally lived in Russia?
I was born here and then I moved there when I was really little.
What types of dancing did you start out doing?
I started out doing classical ballet and I did classical ballet until like 9th grade. I’ve done a little bit of character, but that’s all part of classical ballet. And in high school, in Laguardia, I had to do modern and contemporary.
Which is your favorite dancing type?
Ballet. Ballet definitely.
Was dancing something that was common in your family?
No, not really. My grandma put me in a ballet class because she wanted me to hear music really well, she wanted me to hear waltz. But then she saw I really liked it so..
Can you tell me about your most memorable performance?
My most memorable performance would be when I was 12, I went to an audition to be in Le Corsaire with the American Ballet Theatre which is an insane audition. I wasn’t even really invited to go to the audition but I went anyway, and out of hundreds of people they somehow chose me, and it’s only like little kids that perform in it that aren’t part of the American Ballet Theatre company, so that was absolutely amazing that I actually got to dance on the Met Stage.
Had you not gotten into Laguardia, do you think you would have continued dancing?
No I don’t think so because after 6th grade – I finished 6th grade and then I quit ballet because I didn’t get moved up to the next level, and it was really time consuming and so I stopped dancing for two years; I did figure skating instead, but then I auditioned for Laguardia and then I got in so I continued it.
What made you decide to get back into dancing?
I missed it. I really really missed it.
Have you ever been involved in a performance that you hated? Or do you have a favorite performance?
That I hated? Yes. For our graduation dance concert we had to..Well I hate Graham, which is a type of modern dance, and we had to do it in school all the time. And the two pieces that were chosen to for our graduation dance concert, one of them was called “Celebration” by Martha Graham, and I was miserable. And to make it worse, after our graduation dance concert, which is a like month before our actual graduation, they made us dance it at graduation as well. I thought it would be over after the dance concert, but then they made us continue rehearsals, which was awful. And it was also really tiring.
How do you think living in New York City impacted your involvement in dance all these years?
Um, well New York City in general is I think the center of culture very much, except for like Paris and Europe. But in America, it’s definitely a center of culture. So I get to live and be side by side with many dancers. I’ve met many dancers; I get to go to performances all the time. There are many many dancers that come in to the city to teach classes from all around the world. Um, I went to school a block away from the Met which is, the American Ballet Company is like one of the best companies in the world and all the other companies come and tour in the city and that’s like amazing.
Have you ever had a really memorable dance teacher?
Yeah I had Olga Dvorovenko, she taught ballet, at my original ballet school, Ballet Academy East. She’s here. Um, she’s Russian, she was a principal dancer in um, I forget what company but, a big company in Ukraine, and so was her husband. Um, and her daughter is Irina Dvorovenko, who’s a principal – she just retired this year – but principal dancer at American Ballet Theater, same with her husband. Maxim. And um, they just had a daughter, Emma, so I babysit her so I get to be around them all the time so it’s cool.
Tell me about The Nutcracker.
I’m currently rehearsing for the Yorkville Nutcracker. It takes up a lot of time but I think that the more things you have planned, the more you get done.
When does it start?
It’s in December. It’s only 6 performances. It’s only one week, but we rehearse from September all the way through December every weekend.
Do you ever get stage fright?
I get a little bit nervous when I’m backstage but it’s more, um, excitement. Adrenaline. There’s the word.
Tell me about Arts for All Hearts. When did this first start?
So I came up with the idea, I would say like November of sophomore year of high school, and I don’t remember why I came up with the idea, but I just remember hearing sad stories about many children, and the holiday season was approaching and I wished I could do something for them and I also love The Nutcracker music, and I love the holiday spirit and dancing. So I came up with the idea, and it was perfect for me because I was at Laguardia, so I asked some people to help me and we came up the name Arts for All Hearts, and we had our first performance. I would organize all the rehearsals and then we just sort of continued it from there and I’ve just been continuing emailing people trying to set it up.
Where have you guys gone?
We’ve gone to several places. We’ve gone to two nursing homes, one that we went back to several times, which is a Russian nursing home. Then we went to Lenox Hill Hospital, we performed at Morgan Stanley Presbyterian Children’s Hospital, we performed at Bellevue, so very different people, some of them were children who were mentally depressed, and then adults who were mentally depressed, and senior homes for the elderly. The reactions that we get are just amazing. Even people with like clinical depression are able to smile sometimes afterwards and it’s really great.
Do you have a memorable performance or experience you’d want to talk about?
Um, I think my favorite experience was at the Russian elderly center. After each performance, they always beg us to come back, they always start singing along with us. Last time we did Russian music, and they know the songs and they’re all singing. And they’re just happy, some of them can barely move, but they give these speeches to you, they’re like, “wow you really made me happy, please come back during this season.” It’s so worth it, it just makes me happy talking about it. And they always give us like chocolate or flowers and food, and they’re all just so sweet. It’s really cute.
So it’s something you definitely want to continue doing?
Yeah. Definitely. Oh, we have a performance coming up on the 24th at Lennox Hill.
If a young dancer ever asked you for advice, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that my biggest mistake was not trying when I was younger when I had very good potential, and to just always focus because I was very focused for some time and then I would just stop. So I would definitely say to always try your best, because the better you are the better you have to try and it’s kind of like a circle.
Could you see yourself dancing as your career?
I could see myself, but I would probably devote less time to studying and to school. Some people are able to do it, I think it’s very difficult – it’s not the easiest job to have as a dancer, and you’re not paid well.
But do you think you’re going to continue dancing forever?
Yes. Yes because I can’t not move. I can’t hear music and not want to move. And it just feels good; my entire body feels good after taking a dance class.
