Shelby Williams
| Shelby Williams | |
|---|---|
| https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODczNzAzMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTc0NjQxNn0._4eRgpByt2E2GLcb56gMBWFqY_jL-Z-jbMA84CUMs2c/img.jpg?width=980 | |
| Born | 1990 Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| 🏫 Education | Washington Ballet Academy (2005), Houston Ballet Academy & Houston Ballet II (2006-2008) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 📆 Years active | 2005-present |
| 🏢 Organization | The Royal Ballet of Flanders |
| 🌐 Website | https://www.biscuitballerina.com |
Shelby Williams (born in 1990) is an American ballet dancer and is currently a soloist with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. In 2017, she created her viral Instagram account entitled “Biscuit Ballerina,” dedicated to humorously sharing the flaws of ballet dancers. Shelby has publicly shared her experience with perfectionism and is calling to change these stigmas associated with ballet.
Early Life[edit]
Shelby Williams was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1] She began her dance training at a local dance studio,[2] and started to train more seriously in ballet with the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater by age 11.[3] At age 15, she began her professional training after earning a scholarship for the Washington Ballet Academy. A year later, Shelby transferred to the Houston Ballet Academy where she trained as a student for 3 years, during which she advanced to the Houston Ballet II.[1][3]
Career[edit]
Ballet[edit]
After leaving Houston, Texas, Shelby Williams moved to Europe to dance with Dresden Semperoper Ballett, Ballet d’Europe, and Barcelona Ballet. She later joined Ballet Mainz as a soloist, where she danced featured roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Etudes, and Cinderella. Shelby also worked with choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Georg Reichel, and Douglas Lee. She then joined the Hessisches Staatsballett in 2014 as a soloist, where she performed leading roles in works from Crystal Pite, Alexander Ekman, Richard Siegel, Marco Goecke, and Cayetano Soto.[1]
In 2016, Shelby became a member of the corps de ballet at the Royal Ballet of Flanders. She performed as a featured dancer in works by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, as well as in other works by choreographers including William Forsythe, Pina Bausch, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Akram Khan, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Edouard Lock. Shelby was promoted to soloist in 2018.[1][3]
Shelby has also choreographed her own works, and she has hosted events including the ‘Upcoming Choreographers’ event in Ballet Mainz as well as the ‘Läd Naid Sürpries’ performance event for dancers in Hessisches Staatsballett.[1] She also teaches as a guest artist at many dance schools including The School at Steps, The Sweat Spot, Flux + Flow Movement Center, and Baton Rouge Ballet Theater Summer Intensive.[4]
Online Platform[edit]
In August of 2017, Shelby made her first post on Instagram under the name “Biscuit Ballerina.”[3] The account saw major success within the first few weeks,[5] and is now dedicated to humorously exaggerating the flaws of the human body in ballet.[6][7] The Instagram account has now extended onto other social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube, as well as its very own Biscuit Ballerina website.[1] The website includes a resource section for young dancers to access articles and mental health professionals who specialize in dance.[3]
Shelby delivered a speech regarding her battle with perfectionism[8] in the 2018 P(our) Symposium. She also hosts her ongoing “Dance Talks with Biscuit Ballerina on Instagram Live to discuss change in the dance community with various professional dancers and dance leaders. Shelby began teaching a series of workshops at ballet schools in the United States in 2018.[3] She currently provides online coaching for feedback on video submissions, in which a portion of the proceeds are donated to Acting For Others.[1]
Shelby’s work as Biscuit Ballerina has made featured publications in The New York Times, Pointe Magazine, Dance Europe, and Dance Spirit Magazine.[1] In October of 2017, Shelby was nominated for “Outstanding Performance of a Female Dancer” for two performances in Dance Europe Magazine, and she has since received the “Best News” nomination a year later.[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Williams, Shelby. "Biscuit Ballerina". Biscuit Ballerina. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ "Biscuits with Shelby Williams!". DanceTchrProbs. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Lansky, Chava Pearl. "Meet Shelby Williams, The Real Pro Behind Biscuit Ballerina". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Williams, Shelby. "Shelby Williams". LinkedIn. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ Bourgeois, Riley Bienvenu. "Shake it off: Ballerina Shelby Williams puts perfection in its place". inRegister. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ Beard, Katherine. "The Real Story Behind @biscuitballerina's Now-Famous Insta Account". Dance Spirit Magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ Burke, Siobhan. "Five Dance Instagram Accounts You Should Follow". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ↑ Hyde, Terry. "A Perfectionist's Guide to Happiness". Counselling for Dancers. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
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