SCOUT FORSYTHE began dancing at age eleven in Encinitas, California. From there, she trained at the San Diego School of Ballet with Maxim Tchernychev, a former dancer with Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Ballet. At seventeen, she joined the Studio Company of American Ballet Theatre. Now, at twenty, she rehearses daily and performs as a member of American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet (the ensemble of a ballet company). Here, she chats with ArtDesk dance editor LARRY KEIGWIN about life as an up-and-coming dancer in a prestigious, storied company in New York City.
Larry Keigwin: So tell us about a day in the life of Scout Forsythe.
SCOUT FORSYTHE: I usually wake up around 8:00, have my breakfast, and then walk to the studios. I live very close by, so I’m able to walk in the morning.The best thing is to be outside and just kind of get the body moving in a natural way. I get to the studio around 9:30. Usually I am one of the first people there. Sometimes I set up the barre or sometimes someone else beats me to it. We take class from 10:15 to 11:45. We have a fifteen-minute break, you either change your leotard or get a bite to eat, and then we rehearse from 12: 00 to 3:00.We have an hour break for lunch, and then [rehearse] from 4:00 to 7:00.
I have to ask you, how do you relax keeping such a busy schedule? What do you do that helps you unwind?
On Sundays, I promise you I’m in my bed until probably two in the afternoon. We have two days off, Sunday and Monday. I like to walk around and discover new parts of the city. I love going down to the Lower East Side or on to Brooklyn and getting lost. And I’m a very avid journaler.
You’re going to laugh, but we like to go out and dance. Some of our most fun memories we have in New York City, outside of the ballet world, are when we go to salsa clubs or just somewhere we can dance without any technique or any judgment.
What are you looking forward to in the upcoming season?
I’m really excited for Onegin. That’s a brand new ballet for me, and I’ve never performed it or seen it. The music is beautiful, and it’s just a great ballet. I love Swan Lake, and Giselle.
You premiered a new work, a new ballet by Alexei Ratmansky, one of the world’s greatest choreographers.Tell me about Whipped Cream and the New York premier.
Whipped Cream is a very whimsical, fantastical, dark, and exciting ballet.
There’s never a dull moment. Mark Ryden designed the sets and costumes. He was great to work with and everything he created was just amazing. His imagination with Alexei Ratmansky’s imagination for ballet is just—I think that’s a really good marriage right there. [On stage]we’re constantly moving, and the only thing you can see is a little circle of our face. We are covered head to toe in white—even our hands have gloves on. But it is so cool and we enter on a slide. Like we slide onto the stage.
I love a good entrance. You’re in such an exciting time in your career. What else do you feel like dance and being a ballet dancer at ABT provides for you? That’s a big question.
It is. I think what American Ballet Theatre has been able to give to me is really learning about yourself. I know that’s very, cliché. During the winter, I always get really sad because of seasonal depression. I remember someone was saying, “your dancing is very melancholic right now. It’s something I’ve noticed in your movement,” and that’s how I was feeling as well.
When I’m feeling very happy, people tell me “you’re dancing lively and [with spirit]right now.” I think that’s really cool to know and to discover that my emotions come through my dancing. Every level you hit in your personal life comes out in your dancing.
Do you have words of wisdom for even younger dancers?
Number one, don’t rush. Don’t let any outside influences tell you you’re too old or you’re not going to make it in time Listen to everybody’s wisdom, but in the end you have your own path. As long as you stay true to that and who you are, the hard work will pay off. Have a really good perspective, enjoy all the sad and happy and hard and frustrating and enjoyable.
I am so looking forward to watching you dance this season, and especially to watch you in Whipped Cream. Thank you, Scout.
American Ballet Theatre is one of the most prominent dance companies in the world, and its commissions include works by noted choreographers such as George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and Jerome Robbins. By an act of congress in 2006, ABT became “America’s National Ballet Company.” Since its founding in 1940, ABT has established a seventy-seven-year repertoire of classic ballets and contemporary works. abt.org