Ballet on Break

The summer months offer New York City Ballet dancers a chance to rest and rejuvenate—between tours, additional gigs, and however they choose to keep busy when they're not performing. From favorite summer recipes to hobbies that get far more attention when the company isn't onstage, these are weeks that offer the dancers a moment to flourish beyond the theater. 

In this first dispatch of a three-part series, Corps de Ballet Member Maya Milić offers a glimpse into how she plans to spend the sultry summer days ahead.

After a long season, a big part of relaxing for me is leaving the city. I'll either go home to Vancouver or Munich to visit my sister, who is also a ballet dancer. For the first few days, I do very little: lots of sleeping, some lying on the floor, a good amount of reading, and mainly enjoying not having to be somewhere every minute of the day. If I happen to be in Munich, I'll spend a lot of time walking in the Englischer Garten or riding my sister's bike around the city. At home, I’ll spend time with my family and my dog [Ramzy, pictured]. After months of rehearsals and performances, a few days of doing nothing is perfect. After a few days, I like to have some structure again and will make a plan for the rest of the break, with things like piano practice, conditioning, and PT exercises, or the things I didn't have time for during the season.

I don’t have a favorite recipe for the summer months, but I do enjoy a fresh fig from our fig tree at home.

I think my trip to Vienna during our fall layoff this past year would have to be one that stands out in my memory. Visiting the places where so many great artists lived and worked was incredible, and the city is so full of history that it’s impossible to see it all in one trip — although we did try. I especially enjoyed the Heiligenstadt area in the 19th district, where Beethoven used to spend some of his summers. There are great walking paths through the vineyards, as well as an excellent restaurant in one of the buildings he stayed in around 1817 while working on the ninth symphony. They have a wonderful clear beef soup (my favorite kind) and a really good house Austrian wine.

"Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup."

– Ludwig van Beethoven, from a conversation with Nanette Streicher (1817 or 1818) after firing an otherwise competent housekeeper because she had lied to him.

In the off season, I like to focus mostly on piano practice and some music theory. It’s really the only time I have enough space in my head to learn new repertoire, so I try to make the most of it.

During time off, I stay relatively consistent with the strength and conditioning work we do in season, along with any rehab exercises from physical therapy. The first part of layoff is focused on recovery and healing injuries from the season. Once it is time to build back up again, I’ll start working more specifically on the things I felt were lacking during the past season and that I want to improve on for the next one.

I also love a good walk, especially in nature.

_{Continuum photo © Erin Baiano. Ballet on Break and additional photos courtesy of Maya Milić.}