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The Leadership Dance
Ep. 28: Grace, grit, and guiding dancers, with Stella Abrera
00:30:31
Renowned ballerina Stella Abrera joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch on The Leadership Dance to reflect on her extraordinary career with American Ballet Theatre and her journey from the stage to shaping the next generation of dancers. Stella opens up about gro...
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- [00:01]
A
I truly believe no one achieves success alone. Leadership isn't about individual talent. It's about surrounding yourself with people who challenge you and support you and help you grow and lift you up. Because in ballet, every movement, every story that's told depends on others, and the performance only succeeds when everyone is in sync. Dancers, partners, the corps de ballet, the stage management, the conductor, being in sync with the ballerina. It's all teamwork. Those skills have definitely helped me beyond the stage. Learning to trust and listen and collaborate with that support circle is one of the most important leadership lessons ballet has taught me.
- [00:50]
B
Hello and welcome back to the Leadership Dance, where we explore the art of leadership with trailblazers in business and the arts. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, share and leave a 5 star review I'm your host, Alisa sue lynch, and I'm thrilled to be speaking with the amazing Stella Abrera. Stella grew up in South Pasadena, California and began studying ballet at age five. After winning the gold medal at the 1996 Adeline Genet Awards, she joined American Ballet Theatre's Corps de Ballet, rising to soloist in 2001 and principal dancer in 2015. During her 24 year career with ABT, she performed leading roles in Cinderella, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet as well as works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and Alexei Radmansky. She has appeared as a guest artist with companies around the world. Stella retired from the stage in 2020 and became artistic Director of Katzbahn Cultural park, where she led dance education programming, launched the annual Summer festival, and spearheaded the bubble residency model during the pandemic. She later served as acting Artistic Director of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School JKO and was named artistic director in 2023. I'm so thrilled to have you on the podcast, Stella.
- [02:18]
A
Thank you so much, Elisa. I'm grateful to be here.
- [02:21]
B
Can you share a bit about your upbringing and early training? What first drew you to ballet and how did your early years shape the dancer you became?
- [02:31]
A
Well, our home was lively and dynamic. My dad was a civil engineer, my mom a homemaker and a classical pianist. Schoolwork and precision were emphasized, but at the same time it was a loud and boisterous household. I'm the youngest of five children. You know, there was almost always someone playing the piano or singing. And looking back, I think that really captures the blend of discipline and artistry that I would take with me throughout my career. My siblings are much older than me, so I grew up with this big, wonderful team of older sibs just always looking out for me. My eldest sister introduced me to ballet. She loved taking modern dance classes in college, and when I was five years old, she kind of hated the fact that I was sitting on the couch watching cartoons all day long. And she brought me to my very first ballet class. And from that moment I stepped into that studio, I was absolutely in my element. I knew where I belonged and launched my lifelong love story with ballet.
- [03:44]
B
Thank you for sharing that, Stella. And it's so interesting because my father was a civil engineer and my mother a classical pianist, so she taught music to students in our home. So I grew up with piano as well.
- [03:56]
A
Oh, my goodness. I'm so grateful to both my parents for everything they instilled in me. You know, math homework with my dad was never fun, but I'm so grateful for how he used to make me go through all that homework in a very conscientious, comprehensive way. And then, yes, having classical piano music as part of my upbringing, it really shaped me.
- [04:21]
B
You were promoted to principal dancer at American ballet theater after 19 years with the company. Looking back, what did it take to reach the top level?
- [04:31]
A
Reaching that level required perseverance. You know, showing up every day, pushing for progress and development, but oftentimes feeling like I was going backwards. That was paired with kind of an obsessive passion and determination to push through a lot of challenges because, you know, something new comes every day. A different role, a new partner, a new choreographer, a different ballet or style, and the stakes are high. Doing a show at the Metropolitan Opera House has 4,000 people in it, and, you know, they're coming to see the art that you've been tasked to bring to life. It's not a low pressure job. And, of course, luck and timing played their part, too. Sometimes the right opportunity would arrive when preparation met with the perfect moment. Most importantly, I had endless support from my family, who believed in me from that first ballet class when I was playing leapfrog when I was five up to all the mentors and colleagues at ABT who guided me, challenged me, and inspired me along the way. Reaching the level I did was never a solo endeavor. It was the combo of hard work, hard patience, so much patience, and a strong circle of trusted advisors, mentors, and a support system. For me, that remains one of the clearest leadership lessons. Ballet taught that success comes with a ton of preparation, a ton of resilience, and surrounding yourself with people who both lift you and challenge you.
- [06:18]
B
And, Stella, what was that moment like when you found out you were being promoted? Do you Remember where you were and who was around you.
- [06:26]
A
Yes. That moment will always be a wonderful memory burned in my brain. We were in the basement studio of the Metropolitan Opera House towards the end of our spring season. There's always a big company meeting where. Where the artistic director at the time, Kevin McKenzie, was our artistic director, tells us about the upcoming season, reflects upon the whole year of performing, and then everyone's always waiting with beta breath to hear the promotions, because that's when the promotions are announced. And he listed some of the names of dancers who were promoted into the corps de ballet rank. He listed the names of the dancers who. Who were promoted to the rank of soloist. And then he named both Misty Copeland and I principal dancer at the end of that list. And it was one of the most wonderful memories I think I have of my time as a dancer.
- [07:34]
B
Wonderful. Over nearly 25 years at ABT, you danced almost every major classical role and originated new roles as well. Which one challenged you the most? And were there choreographers or mentors who had a big influence on your career?
- [07:52]
A
Classical roles were definitely the biggest challenge for me. Roles like Aurora, Giselle, Mirta Gamzatti, those come to mind as roles that truly tested my physical and mental strengths early in my career. The first feature roles I was given were mostly contemporary or modern, and I found it easier to be expressive in those pieces. So classical roles, on the other hand, demand such exacting technique and precision, and preparing for them was often far more stressful. I was very fortunate to have mentors along the way. Georgina Parkinson was my biggest champion and her mentor early on. She was a contemporary of Margot Fontaine at the Royal Ballet, and she was a longtime coach at abt. Also, Susan Jaffe, who now is my boss at abt. She is artistic director at abt, and I know she's been a guest on your podcast before. She was quite a formative coach for me for two years and then for the last five years of my career. Irina Kolpakova, a legend in the Russian Ballet, and. And at 91 today, she still proves to be one of the most energetic people in the ABT headquarters on any given day. She's endlessly inspiring. And of course, I absolutely have to say that Kevin McKenzie, who was my artistic director for my entire career, provided professional opportunities throughout my dancing career as well as after I retired from the stage. And it's thanks to him that I've been a professional since I was 17. ABT has always strived to produce artistic excellence in both the classics. Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker all those iconic ballets. But to balance that, ABT also puts a lot of energy and resources towards commissioning new works so that our art form continues to evolve and push forward. So I had the great fortune to work closely and be influenced by some giants, dance maker giants such as Twyla Tharp and Alexei Rametsky, Christopher Wheeldon, Lara Lubovitch, Mark Morris. Those creative processes challenged me technically, artistically, and I always came away from those new creations having found that I pushed myself through limits that I thought were unreachable. Because of those challenging and fulfilling creation periods. My confidence in both classical and contemporary works kind of blended more fluidly, and then that opened the door to even more opportunities as the years went by.
- [10:48]
B
So earlier you mentioned that you had a bad injury before you got promoted. So you experienced a major back injury when you were a soloist that you said took two years to recover from. How did you manage through that challenge and how did it impact your mindset as well as your dancing when you returned to the stage?
- [11:09]
A
I experienced a serious sciatic nerve overstretch injury. It occurred during a rehearsal and it went undiagnosed for about nine months. The muscle dysfunction affected my legs so severely that it eventually became impossible for me to walk for short lengths of time, much less dance. And what was so confusing is that my back felt fine, hence the long, frustrating road to the actual diagnosis, which was a back injury. So by the time it had been confirmed that my back was in the most need of medical attention, my leg had atrophied about half the size of the other. You know, it's never a good time to be injured when you're a dancer, but it's definitely one of the prerequisites of the career. Like, everyone has to go through it. It's. It's just such a high impact vocation. But for me, this particular injury happened at what was one of the most exciting periods of my career. Up until that point, you know, I was preparing for my debut of the role of Gisele, which is one of the most iconic roles a ballerina can tackle. I was going to debut alongside my dear friend and colleague, David Hallberg. He was also going to make his debut as Albrecht in that ballet at the Met. And, you know, I was 30 years old. I was at the peak of my athletic strength, and I had reached a point of artistic maturity that allowed me the confidence to tackle a role such as Giselle. And then I had that little mishap in rehearsal. Soon after, I found out about that debut performance. A Few months later, I didn't really think much of that little prickle that ran down my leg. A little caffeach grew to debilitating pain by the end of the week. And then I was just out of commission and struggling to work with the medical team to figure out what was going on. Any athlete who navigates a major injury, go through process, go through disappointment and devastation, you succumb and there's a moment of acceptance and then curiosity and experimentation. You know, you have to try to find different therapies that work. And enduring a frustrating sequence of two steps forward, one step back. The two year journey of recovery was long and challenging. There were definitely periods of depression, but my perseverance and resiliency was steadfast. I actually never had a moment where I thought I should give up. Hindsight's 20 20, right? Everything worked out in the end and I got back eventually. But there are some things I maybe wish I should have done during the that time. Had a kid taking more college courses, you know, but it took all my bandwidth. It took two years, Definitely took a long time. There was a line in Leonard Cohen's song, there's a crack in everything and that's how the light gets in. That definitely helped pull me through often. That kind of became my anthem. He got me through so much of that time. So at the peak of my injury, it would take me about 10 minutes to shuffle down a New York City block. And several months later, working through so many different physical therapy appointments and getting incremental improvement, I had a day where I had a particularly successful physical therapy appointment. And it helped me walk in time to the tempo of his famous song, so Long Marianne. It was such a joyful moment. I had walked fast, as fast as that tempo of that song in probably a year and a half. And I think it's just a good reminder how, you know, music and poetry and art can just be a salve for the soul during dark times. I eventually returned to the stage with a renewed and reframed focus. Every performance could be my last. And it took several years before I could return to the rotation of leading roles at abt. And that unfulfilled debut of Giselle was still haunting me. So a guest opportunity came my way. Ballet Philippines invited me to dance Giselle in Manila, and I happily said yes and began preparing for it on my own. Then news came of the devastation of a super typhoon that destroyed much of central Philippines. I took the initiative to have my trip to Manila double up as an opportunity to help rebuild an elementary school in a tiny province. I partnered with Operation USA and crowd fundraised and a few months later, I found myself visiting the construction site of a newly rebuilt elementary school. Adorable children, they all gathered to meet me and they sang in unison and welcomed me and held up little signs saying welcome, Ms. Stella. And it was really one of the most moving moments of my life and one that I still hold dear. It's one of the reasons I'm so drawn to working with children now. That unique light and joy and openness that children have when they're excited to learn. And I find it really fulfilling to be around it. So after I visited that beautiful school, the performance in Manila was also very meaningful. It was my debut of Giselle. Of course, it was very dramatic. There was a typhoon that night as well and it was flooding and the theater lights were flickering. But it all went well. The audience showed up and it was magical. And I finally had that debut of Giselle. So that led to an opportunity. Kevin appointed me to be an abt exchange artist that year, which led to two more performances at Giselle at the Australian Ballet, the Sydney Opera House. I was really just. I had really come out on the other side of my injury with feeling quite fulfilled and just so happy. But then my big break on home turf came A few months later. Kevin asked me to replace an injured ballerina for a performance at Giselle at the Metro Halton Opera House. It was last minute. I had just a few days to kind of wrap my brain around the whole thing. It was a high pressure evening. You know, not only was it a full house at the met, but over 200 ABT alumni were invited to this particular performance. And looking back, I'm so grateful at all the support I had from backstage. You know, the crew, my colleagues, my coaches and the audience, they were so warm. When I came out on stage, I knew that they were all rooting for me in this long delayed abt debut of Giselle. So an electrifying night and one I'll never forget. And at the end of that season, I was promoted to principal with misty. That was 19 years after I joined the company as a 17 year old apprentice.
- [18:50]
B
How amazing to come full circle with Gisele. So I'm sure that role has a special place in your heart. Were you ever able to perform it with David Hallberg?
- [19:00]
A
Sadly, that's an unrequited love. But in my dreams we're still quite connected. He engaged one of the students from the apt JKO school to be a member in his company. As a Corda Valley member just this past season. So very proud of that student and happy David and I are still connected in our field.
- [19:24]
B
Thank you for sharing that journey. It sounds like it was very painful and difficult. And it's interesting you mentioned you wish maybe you had a child, which we're going to get to, or had taken some college courses. But later, you did have an opportunity to attend Harvard's Crossover into Business program, which is for professional athletes and performers. So I'm curious, what did you learn in that program? Tell us a little bit more about it. And do you think it changed your perspective about what you might do after performing?
- [19:55]
A
Attending Harvard's Crossover Into Business program was such an incredible opportunity. You know, it came at the perfect time. I was in my late 30s, nearing the end of my performing career. In the same way, I felt totally in my element in a ballet classroom or on stage. Conversely, the HBS classroom felt entirely unfamiliar and hugely intimidating. But, you know, that discomfort was kind of exactly the point. Embracing that vulnerability is how you grow. And I leaned into that discomfort. I listened closely and reviewed the various case studies intently. I let myself be vulnerable with my assigned mentors and asked all the questions. The program helped me realize that while I had been a very passionate performer, an artist, that understanding the business side of my field was essential for a successful life beyond the stage, which I knew was imminent. So I came away from it hungry to learn more about the business side of the arts, to know more about how philanthropy and the arts play their roles in our ecosystem. I also made a commitment to improve my verbal communication, which certainly is an exercise as much in ballet. I decided to begin work with an executive coach. I also think that the Harvard program reinforced my commitment to say yes to everything, even if it scares you. I think a lot of dancers do that. Just go outside the box and see what happens. Growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone and when you expand your perspective.
- [21:43]
B
That's a great mindset and a great lesson to learn. So earlier you talked about some of the skills you feel you've learned from dance. Can you share more? Like, what leadership skills have you learned and that you find yourself applying today?
- [21:58]
A
Teamwork and collaboration come to mind first, because in ballet, every movement, every story that's told depends on others. And the performance only succeeds when everyone is in sync. Dancers, partners, the corps de ballet, the stage management, the conductor, being in sync with the ballerina. It's all teamwork. I also learned accountability, taking responsibility for my own preparation while supporting my partners and colleagues. And Problem solving, resourcefulness, those are constant requirements. Adjusting to last minute changes or injuries or unexpected challenges is part of the daily life of a dancer. And those skills have definitely helped me beyond the stage. We talked about the importance of mentorship earlier. Learning to trust and listen and collaborate with that support circle is one of the most important leadership lessons ballet has taught me. I truly believe no one achieves success alone. Leadership isn't about individual talent. It's about surrounding yourself with people who challenge you and support you and help you grow and lift you up.
- [23:17]
B
I love that. Thank you for sharing those. So now, as artistic director of the ABT JKO Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, what is your vision for the school and the students you know?
- [23:30]
A
As I guide and mentor the next generation of abt, I try to pay all that I was given in my career. I try to pay it forward and help others realize that success is not a solo journey. The ABT JKO School is a creative space. I kind of like to think of it as a laboratory where students from ages 3 to 18 can discover and pursue their own artistic goals. We have two divisions. We have a children's division for those younger students who are first exploring their love of movement and music and melding those two things together. And then the pre professional division where students are hoping and dreaming and working towards a similar career that I got to enjoy. The student body has around 300 students. There's a range of aspirations and my job is to support them in individually while maintaining the values that define abt, the artistic excellence and integrity that have been part of the heart of the company for generations. Art is such an important part of culture, and I want our students to understand that being part of this school is not just about technique. It's really easy to get fixated on, you know, making that pirouette perfect. But what I like to foster in the studio is in addition to that or balancing that, it's about becoming a thoughtful and expressive artist and good citizen. So we implement these values through a teaching and mentoring culture that is collegial and kind and deeply respectful of the legacy of ABT and the art form itself. At the same time, I want to bring a fresh perspective to the future and help the next generation of dancers not only carry forward a proud tradition of classical ballet, but also push boundaries, explore new ideas, and find their own voices in ballet. I program classes in a diverse range of dance genres, not just classical ballet technique. Even though that's the their foundation, it's so important for their development to explore diverse dance Genres. What I try to have reflected in the studios, it's about honoring our past while inspiring what comes next for our art form.
- [26:07]
B
I love what you were talking about. Honoring the past, honoring the classics, learning the foundation, the technique, but also exploring new, diverse forms and pushing your boundaries. Cause I think they go hand in hand. You need the technique to actually do the contemporary or different types of works. But then in the contemporary works, like, you can be more free and learn to be more expressive, which you can bring back to the classics. So they're very lucky to have you at the helm of the school.
- [26:34]
A
Thank you.
- [26:35]
B
You have shared both the stage and your life with your husband, Sasha Radecky, who is artistic director of the ABT Studio company. How has that partnership influenced your artistic journey and personal growth?
- [26:50]
A
I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a life partner who shares the same passion and immersion in our art form. Our combined experience with this institution totals over 60 years. Working alongside Sasha, you know, we collaborate closely to create a seamless pipeline from the JKO school to the studio company and onto APT's main stage. We work hard to carry APT's values in our programming and in how we nurture the dancers in our studios. Sasha and I take a great deal of joy and pride in contributing to the continued evolution of ABT and helping shape the next generation of his dancers. They carry on the very legacy that he and I have been fortunate to be part of. And it's one of the most rewarding aspects of our partnership.
- [27:49]
B
And I think you guys have some big news. You've already shared it publicly, so I can mention it here, but you're expecting your first baby. Congratulations.
- [27:58]
A
Yes, we are. We're absolutely over the moon. We're so thrilled. We're up for the next adventure, and we know it's going to be a big adventure.
- [28:08]
B
How is your body feeling going through all the changes?
- [28:11]
A
Definitely some ups and downs, energy wise. You know, I still teach all day run rehearsals. It gives us a giggle when I have to adjust certain things when I demonstrate what the combination is. But no, I'm feeling good. Just mostly excited.
- [28:29]
B
We're excited for you as well. So, last question. What advice would you give to your younger self about navigating your career while staying true to yourself?
- [28:39]
A
If I could speak to my younger self, I would encourage her to embrace curiosity, explore different fields, learn broadly. Let those different perspectives and experiences deepen and enrich your chosen vocation. I would remind my younger self that there's a fine line between passion and obsession and that maintaining perspective is very important. I'd emphasize the importance of mentorship, seeking guidance from those who have walked similar paths. You know, know that you're never alone, surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you. As I've said before, I. I just really believe in that. And I want to tell my younger self that. And of course, I wanna reassure my younger self that dark times do pass, that challenges and setbacks are inevitable. But they're also such amazing periods of learning, and they're transformative. So sometimes the path to success isn't linear, but that's okay. And success can and will still happen.
- [29:50]
B
Those are wonderful reflections. And your students, I hope, are benefiting from all this wisdom. They are really lucky to have you as a teacher and a mentor.
- [30:01]
A
Thanks so much, Elisa. I really appreciate all your kind words and encouragement.
- [30:06]
B
It has been a joy to have you on the podcast to share your leadership Dance with listeners. Thank you so much for joining.
- [30:13]
A
Thank you.
- [30:14]
B
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