S2 E13 Alice Robb: Because dance doesn’t always love you back.

Guest: Alice Robb
Writer

In this engaging conversation, Eileen and Amy interview Alice Robb, author of 'Don't Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet', exploring her journey from the ballet world to becoming a writer. They discuss the emotional complexities of loving ballet, the impact of dreams (in regards to her first book), and the importance of curiosity, especially as we learn. Alice shares her insights on body image, the need for change in ballet training, and how writing this book has allowed her to illuminate problematic themes that have influenced how some readers approach teaching dance moving forward. The conversation highlights the significance of inclusivity, the need for disruption and the acknowledgement of diverse paths within the dance world.

Alice (she/her) is the author of two non-fiction books: Why We Dream (Picador 2019), which was translated into fifteen foreign languages, and Don't Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet (HarperCollins 2023), which has been called “devastating” (New York Times); “beautiful, difficult, and compelling” (Vanity Fair); “nuanced, intimate” (Guardian); “enlightening, perceptive” (Wall Street Journal).  Don't Think, Dear uses her childhood at the School of American Ballet as a jumping-off point for an exploration of femininity, beauty, pain, the body, and ballet’s place in the modern world.
Her journalism and essays have appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the New Statesman, the Financial Times, the Times Literary Supplement and elsewhere.

Follow / Learn More / Mentions:
IG: @alicelrobb
Website: https://alicerobb.com/ 

• Don’t Think Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet
• Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey
• Sharon Eyal
• Batsheva Dance Company
• Gaga
• Horton
• ABT & SAB