Lezlie Gray | Season in Review

One of our Ballet 5:8 traditions at the end of each performance season is to ask the artists of the company to share some reflections with us. Getting to know the dancers and hearing about their journey is always a treat, and this year is no exception - even in a year turned upside down by a national pandemic! A special thank you to the artists of the company for sharing about their experiences in the 2019/20 Season.

Congratulations to Ballet 5:8 Company Apprentice, who was promoted to Senior Apprentice at the conclusion of the 2019/20 Season.

Senior Apprentice, Lezlie Gray 

Q. Pick one word to describe the overall season. Why?

A. I would pick the word refreshing to describe the overall season. With this past year being my first season with Ballet 5:8, I felt such a great energy working with this company and felt it was a very natural fit for me. I have enjoyed dancing with this amazing team & feel my passion for dancing being renewed for the upcoming season.

Q. Can you share a favorite moment from on or offstage?

A. One of my favorite moments I had was our first performance of the season. Before we went on stage to perform Mi Familia, I had such joy in seeing the unity we all had in cheering each other on and the shared excitement we had to perform.

Q. Of course choosing this is probably going to be hard, but out of the works you performed this season, does one stand out as the most meaningful or most notable for you personally? Why?

A. This is definitely hard to choose as there are things that I can say about all the works I performed, but I think the most notable one for me personally would have to be The Space In Between, specifically, the online version. Having our tour get cancelled and there being a lot of unknowns, I appreciated this opportunity to not give up, but rather to try a new way of bringing this story to people. I saw everyone's hard work and dedication into making this work to the best of our ability in the short time frame we had. The end result was met with much more success than I think any of us initially thought and it was a very sweet moment to watch the performance and encourage one another.

Q. Is there a particular quote or idea that has been inspirational to you this season?

A. The idea of resting in God's perfect timing has been inspirational to me this season in how the whole year panned out. I find comfort in the fact that God will set all things right in His timing.

Q. What room did you dance in during quarantine?

A. I danced in my bedroom and used my dresser as a barre during quarantine.

Q. What are you up to this summer?

A. This summer, I'll be teaching classes for the School of the Arts at Ballet 5:8. I plan on spending my free time outdoors and getting together with friends.