It all started with dance classes at age three.
Evelyn Nelson, 18, began her journey into dance 15 years ago, taking part in competitive dance in jazz, hip-hop, tap, lyrical and contemporary in Pekin, Illinois, before taking classes locally at age seven under Karmyn Kipling and Hannah Eaton. Ballet wasn’t on her radar, and was a style she said she found “boring and restrictive.” But with age often comes wisdom and for Nelson, that “ah-ha moment” came when she was 13 and realized that if she wanted to dance professionally – which she did – she would need training that pushed her. It was that push that has led the Macomb teen to great ballet heights, including now being a student in the Professional Training Division at Cincinnati Ballet.
“During COVID, my dance studio closed, forcing me to go out of my comfort zone and drive 45 minutes to take a ballet class at Dancers’ Studio in Monmouth,” Nelson recalled. “I took my first class with the director and owner Arlene Smith, and I had never felt more pushed in my dancing than I did on that day. For the first time I saw ballet as art rather than just technique.”
When Nelson was 15, she competed in the Puerto Rico Classical Dance Competition and received first place in the Senior Contemporary Category and third in the Senior Classical Category. One year later, the Macomb teen competed at Universal Ballet Competition (UBC) and received UBC Platinum in her self-choreographed contemporary solo, “Otto.” The following year, she once again competed at the UBC and placed 13th in the Senior Competitive Classical Category and received acceptance into Gulf Shore Ballet’s Trainee program, which included a 50 percent scholarship. To say Nelson was hooked on ballet going forward is an understatement.
“The thing that keeps me dedicated to this art form is the relentless pursuit of technical perfection to achieve artistic freedom. In other words, perfection in ballet is impossible, yet it is what we strive for every day. The more technically ‘good’ a dancer becomes the better they will be able to express what the choreography or steps they are performing are trying to convey,” she explained. “An example of this is when a dancer performs a pirouette (a turn on one leg). A less technical dancer would not have as much freedom to alter the step to match the choreography, they would fall out of a single messily. A more technical dancer; however, has an infinite number of possibilities. They could complete multiple pirouettes, making the turn last longer and look lighter or they could speed up or slow down the pirouette depending on the needs of the choreography. This draws me in so much because the more technical you become the more you are able to make people feel.”
Before her December 2024 graduation from Macomb High School, Nelson had her post-high-school sights set on the Cincinnati Ballet.
Approximately 25-30 students are selected for the Professional Training Division each year. To be selected to join the Professional Training Division, a dancer can audition in person or online, by sending in a video audition; by attending the Ballet’s Collegiate or Summer Intensive, or attending the Advanced Division at Cincinnati Ballet.
Nelson chose to attend the six-week Summer Intensive in June and July, and auditioned through that program. She was accepted and moved to Cincinnati in August to begin the rigorous program, which can last up to two years.
Nelson explained that professional ballet companies have different ranking systems within their company. At Cincinnati Ballet, the company rankings start at Apprentice, then progress to New Dancer, Corps de Ballet, Soloist, First Soloist and Principal. As a trainee, Nelson and her classmates are not yet a part the main company or the second company.
“It not always the case that a dancer will stick with the same company they train with or they start with, nor is it guaranteed at any rank to be promoted. It is typical for dancers who are in trainee programs to spend a few years as a trainee before joining a second company or main company,” Nelson pointed out. “As a second company member you are not considered a part of the main company, but may be given opportunities with the main company. Once a dancer is in the company, they will most likely start as an Apprentice or Corps de Ballet member. Traditionally in the United States, ballet dancers work their way up the ranks over time.”
The Cincinnati Ballet’s second company typically takes only one or two dancers from the trainee program each year, while the other company members are taken from auditions and competitions from around the world.
“From the second company, some dancers are taken into Cincinnati Ballet’s main company, and some go elsewhere to join other companies or continue their training. Because of this I expect my career to take me all over the ballet world,” Nelson added.
As she’s honing her skills as a Professional Training Division student, her daily schedule runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Her day starts with a 1.5-hour ballet class, followed by a 15-minute break before rehearsals or other classes.
When the students are preparing for performances, they’ll have two- to threehour rehearsals. Following lunch, rehearsals continue through 3:30 p.m., unless a dancer is called to company rehearsals, which can run until 5 p.m. When they’re not rehearsing, there are daily classes in pointe, modern, contemporary, partnering, yoga and conditioning, among others.
While the trainees do not tour with the companies, they are a part of Cincinnati Ballet’s Main Stage productions, such as the upcoming holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker.” Outside of ballet, she loves to bake treats for friends, cross-train and read all genres of books.
While Evelyn is in Cincinnati doing what she loves, her two biggest cheerleaders, her parents, Sara and Tim Nelson, continue to support their daughter and her passion for dance.
“To us, Evelyn’s admission into Cincinnati Ballet’s Professional Training Division means that she broke off from what would be considered the ‘right’ path for her. As a teacher myself I always encouraged her to pursue a higher education, but over time I realized that she knew the importance of higher education and valued it as well, which is why she is taking online college classes during her time at Cincinnati Ballet,” Sara shared. “We are so thankful that she didn’t take the path that everyone else around her was taking, because the path that she is on is what is going to make her happy. We knew that Evelyn’s schedule was unconventional for most high school students so we did everything we could to make the most of the long-drive and hectic schedule.”
The couple knew when their daughter started dancing as a toddler that she would end up doing something with dance in her future. Sara said Evelyn was always dancing around the living room and kitchen, anytime she had the chance.
“As soon as Evelyn’s dance competition studio closed, we knew we had to find someplace else for her to dance. Before her time at Dancers’ Studio, Evelyn had wanted to learn how to dance en pointe so we knew that going somewhere with a strong ballet-based program would be important,” her mother explained. “Within a matter of weeks, she developed so many new skills and wanted to be there as much as possible. This meant travel time at least five days a week for the next five years. Exhausting as it was, we wanted to support her with her goals in any way possible. One of our proudest moments as parents was watching Evelyn’s last student performance, knowing that it was not the end for her as a dancer. She had succeeded in doing what she always wanted to do and would be continuing to follow her passion that she had been working hard at her whole life.”
While her parents watch with pride as their daughter continues to dance her way through life – literally – Nelson is continuing to soar to new heights doing something she loves, even though she said she can’t yet define her “end goal” as a ballet dancer.
“I’m still learning what kind of dancer I am. Obviously, I am a ballet dancer, but I am a ballet dancer who loves all kinds of dance - contemporary, modern, and neoclassical. The most important thing, in my opinion, that a dancer can be is diverse,” she stated.
“The ballet world is not just the ballet world anymore. Companies around the world no longer just perform the big classical ballets like ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Don Quixote.’ They are creating new works, in ballet, contemporary, and styles that I couldn’t even name. I am not sure what I want to be a part of yet, so I do not know where I want to end up. But that is what makes being a trainee at Cincinnati Ballet so special. We are encouraged to find out for ourselves what we like while also being open to trying new things.
“Ballet for me is the greatest form of self-expression I have found. The reason I pour so much of myself into dancing is because I find it to be a purer form of communication than even speaking. Ballet is a way to clearly see the complexities of life in a beautiful artistic way. It takes incomprehensible thoughts, desires, aspirations, and makes them comprehensible,” she said. “A lot of people tell me that they don’t ‘get’ ballet, and I think that even if you don’t find any meaning in it at all you can still see a piece of living, breathing artwork displayed through athleticism and aesthetic grace.”
