What Does It Take to Become Principal Ballerina?

Dancer Isabella Boylston is American Ballet Theatre's youngest principal ballerina. She joins Tanya Rivero to discuss her upcoming roles and her rise to the top of the ballet world. Photo: Karolina Kuras
Subscribe to the WSJ channel here:
bit.ly/14Q81Xy
More from the Wall Street Journal:
Visit WSJ.com: www.wsj.com
Follow WSJ on Facebook: / wsjvideo
Follow WSJ on Google+: plus.google.com/+wsj/posts
Follow WSJ on Twitter: / wsjvideo
Follow WSJ on Instagram: / wsj
Follow WSJ on Pinterest: / wsj
Don’t miss a WSJ video, subscribe here: bit.ly/14Q81Xy
More from the Wall Street Journal:
Visit WSJ.com: www.wsj.com
Visit the WSJ Video Center: wsj.com/video
On Facebook: / videos
On Twitter: / wsj
On Snapchat: on.wsj.com/2ratjSM

[@discontinuedpleasegoaway]

No, that first variation is Diamond Fairy. Not Aurora

[@zeda8589]

ImGray p

[@bellaenpointe]

I’m late but yep

[@muffin_heart]

I KNOW, RIGHT?

[@lys_ballerina]

my dream is to be a professional ballerina 😍 i would love to dance at ABT one day!!!

[@eduardasartorio8932]

Her smile is SOOOOO beautiful

[@lojainnasr3574]

That was not Aurora! What a disgrace to a so called professional media... (For the first ballet clip) It's Diamond Fairy (take note). However overall lovely video minus the error and bam perfect. :D Question about the reporter: How could she mistake that as Aurora if she was a dancer? Along with a few other rude remarks.

[@Ballerinarose]

"Well at least your married.." How inappropriate. Geez...

[@natalielinden]

I thought the same thing.

[@NhiTran-dw8ij]

Second that!!! Somehow I feel like the interviewer is not fit for interviewing an artist. She lacks that "going with the flow", being able to feel all the feels, and being versatile enough to follow whatever the conversation may unfold. It literally feels like an interview with some business figure. She just jumped from one question to the next, and wanted to get the answer out. It was apparent that Isabella was not at ease or at her most comfortable.

[@younghyunjoo1564]

Agree- also the fact that she told her at the end of the interview. Damn. Oh and this whole interview made me feel like the ballerina was uncomfortable throughout.

[@TheCerealluvr]

effing ridiculous

[@Es9954]

And she interrupted Isabella quite often which was bothering me the most i think

[@penelopewilliamselliott7353]

thank you

[@avasmith8325]

That's not Aroura! That's the diamond farie!

[@defnegursel1446]

Did she [the interviewer] call Odette “swan lake”? At least educate yourself on ballet before you interview a ballet dancer

[@zaila4271]

You're married so you do have a personal life???
Marriage isn't the only way to have a personal life. I feel like the interviewer doesn't understand dance.

[@breezter]

4:12 was that Misty on the barre?

[@l.h.3804]

breezter Yes

[@n.a.8189]

breezter Yup :)

[@icarrus4u]

Yup! Looking gorgeous.

[@jensen1880]

Weight is vital if you need to be lifted by another dancer!- everything changes, a great ballerina takes the lead

[@elleromanovafermanpevel2127]

ISABELLA !!!!😲🎈🎊🎉

[@TheCerealluvr]

She's such a cutie!

[@lockheart619]

A ballet boarding school? How old was she?

[@indraneelmore1130]

She could just say she is talented 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@drewbach6073]

First

[@21whichiswhich]

Is she the ex-girlfriend of Benjamin? Nathalie Portman's husband.

[@walshiel3533]

21whichiswhich bi

[@Marusamaisnotagirl]

:0

[@karebu2]

Lol. What's a principal ballerina anyway?

[@classicalchance7831]

When you dance in a company, the principal position is the highest position you can reach as a ballerina.

[@lockheart619]

Alexa Charbonneau does the company just choose them to be one or do they have to audition to do so?

[@catalinaguzmancantante212]

@@lockheart619 the company promotes them, based on their performance

[@evag1344]

lock heart they start at the corde ballet (spelling error) then they might slowly get promoted to soloist and later principal

[@mads5171]

The top dancers in a company whom preform lead roles like Juliet and Odette etc

[@celticeyesmorriganrising929]

ALL THE PRINCIPALS AT NYCB ARE BEAUTIFUL..i guess abt does not have that standard.

[@vilebui8755]

beauty comes from within

[@kerrytakashi12]

ABT has the UGLY standard. Or at least the company Board Members do. They would rather push this one with the limp wrists and claw hands over truly beautiful dancers like Sarah Lane, Christine Shevchenko or Skylar Brandt.

[@DianaMoon11428]

@@kerrytakashi12 Skylar may get that promotion. She did two Giselles.

[@kkdoc7864]

Kerry Takashi I know very little about ballet, but based on your comments, I am paying a lot more attention to her hand movements which are different. Why is it that even dance is ruled by “who you know”.? Who should be the principal and why? I am trying to learn as much as I can.

[@melissa0506]

@@DianaMoon11428 yup Skylar is now a Principal

[@michelboudot2882]

Very very good dancer. Very plain. Too humble. No charisma..bad make up

[@miriammoriarty8588]

It's not a beauty pageant. It's a profession. Your sexism is showing.

[@jiwoo..22]

shush no one cares

[@mikafizz1022]

​@C. A. B. Which clip?