Published: August 27, 2009

A career in dance is often short and unvaried. Amanda Edge, now a senior, is an exception. At 35, Edge has danced her way through the last 30 years of her life. From small, crowded stages in Brazil to dancing for 13 years in the New York City Ballet all around the world, and most recently on Broadway, Edge has followed her heart to dance, what brings her the most joy.

As she puts it, “Ballet, to me, is joy.”

On her first stage performance, at age 10 in Brazil: I had thick, thick glasses. It didn’t occur to me until right before the performance that I was in big trouble because I couldn’t wear my glasses. When I got on stage the lights, the music and the audience — the movement – I was 10 and I went, “This is it for me, this is it for me. This is it.”

On moving to New York City
to attend the School of American Ballet: One of my teachers asked me where I wanted to go. I said, “New York City—that’s for me.” It was the most free I ever felt in my life. The teachers, they gave me freedom. Somehow, when I came to New York, I felt anonymous and free to grow.

On some of her ‘psycho dance teachers’:
There were a lot of catty comparisons. In a very small class of 10 people, a teacher might say, “Wow—that was really tacky; [other student] would never do that,” or “Wrong wrong wrong … You’re never gonna make it!” And I would think, “Oh my god, I really am a horrible dancer.” Looking back, I wish I hadn’t taken it so hard.

When Edge was 20, the NYC Ballet was going through rough times; the company was about 10 dancers short—meaning everyone did everything for months:
I remember at one point we did something like 50 ballets in 10 weeks.
I went through a midlife crisis then, at about 20 or 21. It was the first time in my life where dancing felt like work. I thought, “I worked my whole life to do this and now I want to sell everything I own, take my dog and move to California.”

Best advice she was given:
When it stops being fun, do some soul searching because dance is far too hard to do if you’re not in love with it. And, this is crucial—don’t let someone else’s opinion of you alter or shape your opinion of yourself.

Best part of dancing for NYC Ballet: The travel. I went to places I never would’ve gone otherwise. St. Petersburg, Russia was unbelievable. I got to see ruins in Japan.

After a cartilage injury in her hip, Edge ended up in a hospital formerly named “The Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled.” She ended up not getting surgery but going through intense physical therapy instead.

Favorite piece: Tarantella. It was the first piece I did after recovering from my injury. It was a triumph. I proved to myself and to my boss that I could do it, though the Times would disagree.
[World-renowned dancer] Baryshnikov came backstage afterward, pulled me aside and said, “You danced so beautifully.” And I said to myself, “That’s it!”

On bad reviews: Bad reviews are a horrible experience. You should read reviews, but take it all with a grain of salt. Don’t believe the good, either.
You don’t want to have regrets. Ever. Ever. I have no regrets.

Advice for aspiring dancers: Whenever possible, do what you love. Follow your heart