Hello!
It’s been eight months since I last posted a blog entry, despite it still being described as a “weekly” feature. A lot has changed since October 2024, both personally and professionally.

First: What I’ve been working on

Most of my time has been spent on my new business, Ballet Trauma Club, where I design and sell pun-based ballet merchandise and accessories. The idea emerged in early 2024, during a period of recovery from a nerve injury, when I needed a new creative outlet. I also wanted autonomy over the vision and creativity. The shop officially launched online in September 2024.

My parents are likely relieved I’ve finally put my Economics degree (from over a decade ago) to use, applying dark humor and entrepreneurial spirit to create something joyful. As a Jane-of-all-trades, I’ve taken on everything from WordPress and WooCommerce to algorithms, conversions, and digital marketing. I’m behind the branding, banners, Instagram posts, and weekly newsletters. I only felt comfortable launching a business if it allowed me to engage both my interests and weaknesses, forcing myself to grow through challenge. I tend to operate best with some resistance. It’s very much a dancer mentality. (More on that in a separate post.)

Second: A shift in focus

My work in the Bay Area will shift significantly starting late August. I will be stepping away from regular teaching to focus on guesting, workshops, and private coaching, making space for performance projects and business ventures more aligned with my values.

For context, I’ve been teaching since 2008, when I signed my first contract in Chicago. During COVID, I taught extensively via Zoom, at one point more than sixteen classes per week, while also choreographing and performing. Transitioning back to in-person work was difficult in every sense: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The performing arts landscape changed dramatically. Funding dwindled, priorities shifted, and the dance education space began to lean more toward athletics than artistry. In August 2023, I sustained a nerve injury in my lower back, and it took over a year to feel remotely ready to return to movement. And by “movement,” I mean a return to foundational work. My body had reached a point of burnout that could no longer be ignored.

The injury forced me to stop and ask if what I was doing still aligned with my purpose. The honest answer: it didn’t. What I once loved so deeply that it consumed nearly every hour of the day had become something that slowly drained me. My respect and reverence for dance as an art form remain unchanged. But as always, it’s the systems and people in the industry that erode the joy.

The politics, egos, restrictions, gatekeeping, competition—it all adds up. Competition can push people to do better. But when it’s used as a tool to undermine, invalidate, or exclude, it becomes toxic. I also continue to question the accessibility of the arts in the Bay Area. Money buys opportunity and access, but in this particular field, it does not buy talent. I’ve seen too many privileged individuals operate beyond their level of expertise and treat seasoned professionals as if their labor and knowledge were disposable.

Despite it all

I don’t regret any of it.
I spent my twenties and thirties pursuing a passion I’ve had since I was seven. I performed meaningful work, traveled internationally, built friendships that endured through both joy and adversity, and gave back to the communities that raised me. These past two decades, spent dancing, choreographing, and teaching, shaped who I am.

What’s next?

Ballet Trauma Club remains my priority. It brings both joy and challenge in this current season. I’ll be teaching a few workshops this summer, then spending extended time in Asia. I plan to update this space more regularly in the next few weeks with thoughts I’m ready to share.

Be kind, and keep dancing,

S.

Photography by Nicole Blumberg