I had the chance recently to ask Katelyn Power some questions about her journey as a ballerina. Katelyn is an excellent dancer, she graces the stage with incredible poise and elegance. Her passion and love for ballet is incredible. Below are her responses.

Q1: When did you start ballet?

I started dancing when I was 3, but I only began focusing more on ballet when I was 8

Q2: Where do you currently dance?

I dance at Ballet Forte NJ

Q3: How long have you been en pointe for?

I have been en pointe for a little over 6 years

Q4: What pointe shoes do you currently wear?

I currently wear the Bloch Eurostretch pointe shoes.

Q5: How did you first get involved in ballet?

I first got involved with dance because my mom wanted me to stop walking on my tip toes when I was really little! Then I got more into ballet because when I moved, the closest studio was a ballet studio

Q6: What is your favourite variation?

Right now my favorite variation is the Giselle Act 1 (with the hops), but I love all the ones that I have competed with so far.

Q7: What company would you love to work for?

I would love to work with any company given the opportunity, but ABT would definitely be the dream.

Q8: Do you have a favourite memory/moment in ballet?

One of my favorite memories from ballet is from right after I finished performing the Aurora Act 1 variation at a competition. I had enjoyed performing it so much that I started happy-crying a little bit! Other dancers backstage gave me weird looks because they thought I was upset with my performance haha! I ended up placing first for the first time ever with that performance, which was truly unreal!

Q9: Who are your ballet roles models? Dancers that inspire you.

Some dancers that inspire me are Skylar Brandt, Maria Khoreva, Kathryn Morgan, and Isabella Boyelston

Q10: Best advice you’ve ever received from a teacher?

. Some of the best advice that I have ever received from a teacher was to focus more on the experience than the outcome, because no matter what happens, there will always be things to learn from and can help me grow!

Q11: Advise you’d give a young version of yourself?

Advice I would give to my younger self would be not to care so much about the littlest mistakes or other people’s actions

Q12: Best thing about being a ballerina?

My favorite thing about being a ballerina is always having something to fall back on. Even as the world changes around me, I can always dance

Q13: Hardest thing about being a ballerina?

. One of the hardest things about being a ballerina for me is not getting discouraged and only focusing on progress rather than stressing about anything that is ultimately insignificant

Q14: It seems like such hard work, did you ever have days growing up where you were like “ugh maybe I’ll just pick an easier career so I can be like a normal teenager”?

Of course it can be hard to stay motivated, and I definitely have had those days. However, I try to just let myself acknowledge my emotions and understand that they are normal yet temporary

Q15: Classical or romantic tutu?

I like belle/European tutus the most! Kind of a mix of both 🙂

Q16: Have you ever suffered a serious injury?

Fortunately, I have never had a serious injury! My only “injury” that has caused me to have to stop dancing for a couple days was when I pulled my hamstring once

Q17: What do you like to do when you aren’t dancing (your free time)?

My favorite things to do in my free time are hang out with my friends, make TikToks, and go into NYC!