SKYLAR BRANDT

Skylar Brandt, 28, is among the most celebrated ballet dancers of her generation. The American Ballet Theatre principal dancer has devoted two decades to constant practice, rehearsals, and performance, all in pursuit of excellence in a profession that accepts nothing less. In February 2020, she danced the lead in Giselle, replacing an ailing Misty Copeland; later that year, ABT promoted her to principal dancer. She has cultivated an immense social media following, inspiring future dancers and entrancing everyone else in the ultimate marriage of artistry and athleticism.

For her work, Brandt has recently been named to Forbes “30 Under 30” list, spotlighting the brightest and best in their respective fields. The distinction is not lost on Brandt, who shares, “I am in total disbelief. It is cool to be a part of that list with some incredibly talented people.”

The recognition comes on the heels of audiences returning to embrace live performance, which for New York City theaters, resumed in the fall of 2021, only to be interrupted again in the winter as the Omicron variant swept the country. The initial shutdown was historic in its scope, leaving the performing arts in tatters as artists left the city in droves, Brandt being no exception. 

“I was devastated when everything shut down in March of 2020,” she says. “I felt that I had lost momentum, but I shifted my perspective and realized that everyone is going through this simultaneously. So, I decided to see it as a gift of time that I wouldn’t otherwise have until retirement.”  

A YOUNG SKYLAR
“My parents frequently exposed us to professional ballet, Broadway, and orchestra performances, but it wasn’t until I began seeing ABT performances as a child that I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” the dancer says. “When I was eight years old, I told my parents, and they were taken aback because most people do not know what they want to do even when they graduate college.”

Brandt benefitted from unwavering parental support. “My parents made unbelievable sacrifices to enable me to pursue this. It was expensive. It was time-consuming. It was emotional and challenging. It’s hard to do without that level of support.” 

Her ballet résumé is extensive, as one would assume for a dancer of Brandt’s training. She has performed in some of the most famous works in classical ballet: Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Dox Quixote and, of course, The Nutcracker.

HER FAVORITE WORKS
“Two of my favorite ballets growing up were Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet, so to be able to perform them with the company that I aspired to join so many years later touches my heart. It’s hard to pick a favorite.” 

Classical ballet and opera remain a rarified performing art to which not everyone has access, restricted by geography or economics. Still, Brandt sees change taking hold and bringing ballet to a new audience. “I see a shift in culture in the U.S.,” she explains. “A lot of dancers have a strong social media presence to give visibility to what we do.”

Brandt has tremendous admiration for those who came before her and an equal amount of respect for those who will follow in her toe shoe footsteps. “I was so fortunate to grow up watching a golden period of ABT in which it didn’t matter what night you bought a ticket because it was star-studded each night of the week,” she explains. “Stars like Marcelo Gomes, Gillian Murphy, Angel Corella, and Nina Ananiashvili- those were the people whom I looked up to and aspired to fill their shoes. But it is the responsibility of the artist to make the audience fall in love with the art form.”  

THE YOUNG FANS
“I was that eight-year-old girl, so it makes me emotional to meet someone young who wants to do what I am doing,” the dancer says. “I try to inspire them and try to give back as much as I can.”

As for the current state of ballet, Brandt is optimistic about its future. “I feel that there is so much excitement and thrill for the audience that had come back, especially in the fall 2021 season when we returned to the stage after an absence of 18 months,” she says. “The audience at the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center was unlike anything I have ever experienced before.

Because people were deprived of live theater for so long, there was a new appreciation and energy from the audience. I hope that the excitement doesn’t die down the further we move away from the pandemic. But I do not think it will because we have learned to not take anything for granted.”

This year, Brandt will make her lead debuts in Swan Lake and Don Quixote, in addition to a tour. She looks forward to meeting fans who have discovered her through social media. “It feels so rewarding to inspire the next generation.”  

And that she will do.