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It's easy to get lost in the onstage magic when you attend a ballet performance, but behind the curtain there’s a whole lot of work (and glam) that goes into it. For a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes action, we caught up with American Ballet Theatre's Erica Lall. The 21-year-old corps de ballet member is one of five black dancers within the company, and she even counts Misty Copeland as a mentor. From her morning skin-care routine to her nightly bath, and a ton of dancing in between, here's how Erica gets stage-ready.
"It's crazy how fast we put a ballet together," Erica tells Teen Vogue, noting that though the company is New York City–based, it tours nationally and internationally throughout the year. "We really start cramming for the spring season in April, and then we're still rehearsing once it starts in May, because we have nine different productions in the eight weeks we perform." For Erica, who will dance in every show, that means beginning her day with ballet class at 10:15 a.m., followed by a full day of rehearsals until 5:15 p.m., then it’s time to break before the show, at 7:30 p.m.
Erica’s stage-makeup prep actually takes place in the morning, long before she gets to the theater. "My skin-care routine is probably not what it should be, but it works for me," she says with a laugh.
It goes like this: "When I get out of the shower, I put Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion on my body and face, and then I pat in the Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Sérum — it's the best thing ever invented," she says. "If I feel like I'm going to break out, I use the Neutrogena Rapid Clear Treatment Pads and then Humphrey's Organic Witch Hazel, which I actually do after my moisturizer.”
Preferring lighter options to the traditional heavy stage makeup, Erica doesn't require a multistep makeup-removal routine post-show. "I use Skinceuticals Clarifying Exfoliating Cleanser because I don't wear waterproof eye makeup onstage, and I use Clinique Stay Matte Foundation instead of the thick pancake foundation most dancers use."
For the rest of her onstage makeup, Erica uses a mix of brands, from Benefit's Goof Proof Brow Pencil for her eyebrows (and along her lower lashline) to Anastasia Beverly Hills’s highlighter kit. Her final step, lipstick, is where things get really interesting. "I start with a Sephora gloss, because I don’t like my lips to feel dry, then I mix a ton of lipsticks until I get the right berry red. I always start with an orange-y pink color from Chanel and end with a berry from Bite Beauty, but I also use MAC, Marc Jacobs, and Rimmel."
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No matter what they’re performing, members of the company are almost always required to wear their hair in a bun or French twist, styles Erica says she's still mastering as she grows her hair out naturally. "I'm not used to these curls yet, so I'm still finding my products, but I love the Eco Styler Argan Oil Gel and everything from Shea Moisture is good, too."
The whole time she's getting ready, Erica can be found in her dressing room singing along to her current favorite preshow soundtrack,Hamilton. "I'm such a fan of the show, and I literally know every word," she says. "But really, I just need pump-up music like that or some reggae."
After some stretching to warm up her muscles, Erica gets into her costume for the show and puts on her pointe shoes. "The stage wings are huge, so there’s a spot where I can do some ballet barre exercises before performing. I don't really get nervous, though. I just get excited to be dancing onstage," she says.
Post-show, Erica changes and heads home to unwind. "Every night during the season, I have to take a bath, no matter how late it is," she says. But this isn't your typical bath-bomb soak. Erica sticks to Epsom salt baths, which help to relieve sore muscles so her body can recover from all that dancing. "The body's reaction to doing so much is really the hardest part of working on so many ballets at once," Erica says of the company’s eight-show-a-week schedule. Then it’s off to bed to rest up for tomorrow’s dancing.
