Today we speak with Alexandra Farber, who is a professional ballet dancer and visual art artist and choreographer. Alexandra began classical ballet training when she was three years old, completing the training at 18 with the Maryland Youth Ballet. Alexandra was in Houston Ballet II followed by Texas Ballet Theater where she perform principal roles today.
act’ble: Hi Alexandra, nice to talk to you! Could you tell us a few words about your dance background and your professional dancer career?
Alexandra: Hi! Thank you all for having me. My dance background started like so many of my peers, my mother put me in classes at age three. Every year she asked if I wanted to do ballet again, and every year I said yes! Of course, things got more complex over the years, but essentially I found a love for movement art at a young age and have trained my entire life. At age thirty now, I am a principal dancer with Texas Ballet Theater, have created several commissions as a choreographer, and also have a visual art practice.
act’ble: You are a multidisciplinary artist and choreographer? That sounds amazing! Tell me please about your current activity and how you came up with this career path.
Alexandra: Visual art and choreography were natural branches of my dance life. I was lucky to have such incredible training at Maryland Youth Ballet, where being a whole person not solely focused on one artistic pursuit made for a much more nuanced career. Choreography is something I can remember doing as young as I started dancing, and I am excited to have returned to in recent years professionally- I have had multiple commissions for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and will take part in both Oklahoma International Dance Festival and Steps Beyond Foundations choreographic showcase this year. My visual art is an extension of my movement works, and allows me to express myself in a non-time-based manner; I have exhibited in several shows both nationally and internationally.
act’ble: What is the global mission of your project? What are the biggest challenges on your way to this goal?
Alexandra: The global mission of my project is to create create create; collaborating with stories previously untold around the world through my choreography and art, that is most interesting to me. The biggest challenges are perhaps lack of representation, as both a female artist and a jewish artist, there are few of us! But I see this as motivation towards my goals.
act’ble: What is the biggest inspiration for you?
Alexandra: The biggest inspiration to me is seeing other strong minorities making their goals happen despite the odds.
act’ble: What is dance community for you? What role does community play in your project?
Alexandra: A dance community to me are the people that share my views for what the dance world could be. There are many who want to maintain toxic behaviours of specifically the ballet world for their own gain- though most of these people would not or perhaps could not admit or know this. My dance community include supporting patrons, scientists, dancers with causes, and those who want to take the best of ballet’s history and bring it into a modern era. This community plays such an important role in making my work possible with their support, funding, talent, time, and more.
act’ble: Now we want to know more about the pointe shoe and dance experience of yours. What is your experience with pointe shoes and dancing on pointes? Have you experienced difficulties, problems, health issues?
Alexandra: Pointe shoes are magical, but obviously not without their problems! I have always had difficulty finding that perfect fit in a shoe, and while my foot size and shape make it hard for me to find the right shoe, that said I am lucky to not have had too many injuries due to my shoes. I would love to see the best parts of pointe shoes brought to modern times and better fits for all dancers.
act’ble: act’ble core product is act’pointes that are innovation pointe shoes for the dancers, that have a long-term health impact to the overall body and dancer’s health. What do you think about the products that bring innovation, new technologies to a very traditional industry, like ballet?
Alexandra: I think it is greatly needed and that this kind of change is needed both physically for dancers as well as emotionally, mentally, and socially! Act’ble is leading the way in this regard with its peers.
act’ble: How do you see the Future of Dance?
Alexandra: I see the future of dance to be a much more inclusive place, a much more scientific place, a much more inventive place, a much more interesting place, and a much more kind place.
About Us:
We are a new innovative company creating the future of dance and movement. Together with design, research, and high-level athletes, we have reinvented the centuries-old pointe shoe for dancers into the act’pointe. A sustainable, functional, and fully customizable pointe shoe that molds to the dancer’s feet to enhance performance. Our mission is to enable dancers to make a difference, elevating their performance, life, and world.
