IN STEP WITH | BRITT STEWART

There’s something about dancing that is so freeing whether you enjoy it personally, professionally or watching it on TV! Tomorrow is National Dance Day and we had the chance to catch up with Dancing With the Stars’ pro, Britt Stewart, who partnered with BAND-AID® Brand to celebrate this day (find out about their National Dance giveaway on their Instagram where you can find out about how you can win a special mailer that includes Britt’s favorite BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® bandages, a gratitude journal, face masks, a gift card for dance gear and more as it’s live now! In partnership with her non-profit, Share The Movement, they’re honoring the uplifting power of dance in Black and Brown communities by sharing all of Britt’s dance “Must-Haves!” 

We took some time to talk about how Britt became a dancer and her passion for it! We also wanted to know how she came to DWTS and the latest season of this show which kicks off season 32 on Sep 26th! We also wanted to know more about her partnership with BAND-AID® Brand as well as how she uses her platform to promote diversity in dance!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a dancer?

BRITT STEWART: Oh, wow! I don't know if I realized it for myself because I was three years old when I started dancing, and my parents put me into it. But as soon as I started dancing, my parents knew that that was my passion. Then, I had an amazing opportunity professionally when I was 15 years old, when I was in the high school musical movies, and it was what really showed me what a career in dance would be like. After that, I just was stuck and that's what I ended up doing!

AM: Where did you train and what kind of dance do you do or lean towards?

BS: I trained in Denver, Colorado at Artistic Fusion Dance Academy. I also trained at my art school from sixth through 12th grade at Denver School of the Arts. Growing up I trained in everything. I was classically trained with ballet and modern and contemporary and jazz. I also did tap and hip hop and cultural dances. And now of course, I lean toward all styles of ballroom dance. I would have to say my favorite is jazz through and through, but I love Samba and Viennese Waltz.

AM: You have toured as a dancer for a number of artists including: Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building, Selena + Chef, Dear…), Rihanna (Ocean’s 8, Battleship, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) Janet Jackson (Poetic Justice, Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too?), Demi Lovato, and Florence and the Machine! You danced during Super Bowl XLIX and have also been in Grey's Anatomy, Bunheads, and the Gilmore Girls to name a few - how has it been to showcase your talents on so many stages and different ways?

BS: My career feels so expansive because I started so young, and I also feel very blessed that I got so many different experiences on so many different stages, from live stage to  TV and film. It has really been a blessing to be able to call my passion my career and my work. I know that that is something that doesn't always happen, so I don't take it for granted.

AM: You joined DWTS as a dancer in Season 23 - 27 and then became the first black female pro on the show in Season 29! What attracted you to being on this show and what is the difference between being a dancer versus a pro?

BS: The show actually started as just a regular commercial job. I got hired to do one little performance, and that is where the producers saw me and asked me to audition for the show. It really came out of the blue! I knew that I wanted something different and I wanted to be challenged. This was right after Katy Perry's tour. I had been with her for three years, and I really loved working with her, but I knew that I just wanted something different at that moment. And literally, Dancing with the Stars fell into my lap. It pushed me in so many ways. The biggest difference between being a dancer and a Dancing with the Stars pro is it really does hold so much responsibility. As a pro you not only get to dance, but to choreograph and to teach and really create a relationship with whoever your partner is.

AM: You've partnered with Johnny Weir (Zoolander 2, Happy!, Spinning Out), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid, Rambo First Blood II, Cobra Kai), and Daniel Durant (Switched at Birth, Chicago Med, CODA) - how do you prepare to work with partners who have varying levels of expertise and what's that process like?

BS: The process of working with all levels and expertise is very unique to each season. I stay true to myself as a choreographer and as a teacher, but I always enter the room with an open heart and open mind and choreograph and teach for that partner's needs.

AM: What has been your favorite memory of being on this show?

BS: Oh my goodness. Well, my favorite memory on Dancing With The Stars is hard to choose because my first season was so rewarding. I really earned a friend for life from Johnny Weir, and he was honestly the perfect first partner I could have asked for. But then, I don't know. I mean, being partnered with Daniel and then falling in love with him, I guess that's my favorite memory!

AM: What can you tell us about the upcoming season that we should keep an eye out for and what are you looking forward to?

BS: Unfortunately, I can’t share too much information about the upcoming season but stay tuned for more to come shortly!

PHOTO CREDIT | Angela Pham at Ballet Hispánico, New York City - Dance Pros Britt Stewart and Brandon Armstrong show off their moves at a recent event hosted by BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® and nonprofit Share The Movement. 

PHOTO CREDIT | Angela Pham at Ballet Hispánico, New York City - Dance Pro Britt Stewart hosts a moving panel about barriers Black and Brown dancers face at a recent event hosted by BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® and her nonprofit Share The Movement. 

AM: Tell me about Share The Movement, how you are partnering with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® with dance clinics here in NYC, LA, and Atlanta, and why this was synergistic for you.

BS: Share The Movement is a nonprofit organization and I’m lucky enough to serve as President. Share The Movement was created by an amazing group of dancers, choreographers and dance enthusiasts, and we launched in April of 2021. Our mission is to increase diversity in the professional dance industry. As an organization, we’ve really grown in the last several years through our mentorship and summer scholarship programs. We also help young BIPOC dancers continue with training and development opportunities.

Through our partnership with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE®, we’re putting our mission into action—helping to develop young, diverse dancers. Together we are hosting a series of free dance clinics in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. I'm currently here at the New York City event, which just begun, and it's been amazing to create a space where everyone can feel seen and heard. It has been so special.

AM: I'm caramel complected and the fact that there is an option to have wound care options that match our skin is really exciting. Why is this important for dancers?

BS: Having a brand that embraces different skin tones is so important for everyone, especially dancers. We are always on stage or in class where we are prone to cuts, bruises, blisters— you name it. Having BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® bandages at the ready and matching my skin tone just adds that extra layer of confidence to any rehearsal or performance, shifting the focus back to my performance rather than exposing a wound.

AM: How are you using your platform to amplify content from Black and Brown dancers for National Dance Day?

BS: BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® and I are teaming up for a giveaway in celebration of National Dance Day on Sunday, September 16! People will have the chance to celebrate dancers and win some of my favorite dance essentials, including BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE® bandages. Be sure to stay tuned for additional details and how you can enter the giveaway on BAND-AID® Brand's Instagram page @bandaidbrand.

 Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

Beyond the Barre

Emily Tyra plays Mia Bialy on STARZ Network’s, ‘Flesh & Bone’ which debuted in Fall 2015 as a limited series. Within seconds of the first episode viewers are introduced to her character who is a part of the fictional American Ballet Company. The series looks at the grit and glamour that takes place in the ballet world within the dance company, rehearsals and the lives of talent and management.

On the day of our shoot at Loft Twenty in Flatiron in NYC, our entire creative team enjoyed getting to know Emily, who is like hanging out with your favorite girlfriend.

FEB COVER STORY

| PHOTOGRAPHY Carlos David | STYLIST Kimmie Smith/Accessory2 | MUA Kat Osorio | HAIR Selda Cortes | COVER STAR Emily Tyra |

Photographed at Loft Twenty in Flatiron, NYC

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you begin ballet and acting?

EMILY TYRA: I started dancing when I was about 4 years old. I was a really shy kid, so my mom put me in dance classes to bring me out of my shell. I would never let her watch me dance! I started acting classes and singing lessons in middle school. Once I got to highschool, I was a complete artsy kid. I anchored the school news, lettered in choir (of course), did the plays and musicals and was in our extracurricular improv troupe. The serious ballet came later when I had a growth spurt and it was clear I was built for it. My teachers started encouraging me to train more intensely
around age 14. That is when I started getting scholarships to study at places like American Ballet Theatre, here in NYC.

AM: Did you begin your career thinking that you would do both?

ET: I really wanted to find a way to do both. Ballet had a shorter timeline and an immediacy. You have to do it while you are able physically and emotionally. I had decided against college and after a few big ballet company cattle calls, I moved to the east coast to dance with Boston Ballet. I got it out of my system and now I don’t wonder “what if?” Also, it keeps reappearing in my life as an actor, like with Flesh & Bone. It’s something that makes me a little special. There are a lot of actors out there. I have a vivid memory of a former mentor of mine telling me “You’ll always be a dancer.” When I am trying to be something else, I hate that. But he was right. That part of me will always be important in some way.

AM: When you heard about Flesh & Bone what drew you to the show and the character?

ET: I was excited to see a ballet show finally cast real dancers and not glamourize the whole thing. My personal experience in the ballet world left me with a lot of complexities and I was excited about the idea of contributing to this kind of authentic drama. I wanted it to be done right, just like our creative team, the network and the rest of the cast.

I was also up for the challenge of getting back into “ballet” shape. I hadn’t danced in a company or taken regular ballet classes for about 6 years. It scared me, so I knew I needed to do it. It was hard! But so worth it.

AM: During the episodes we see you and the cast during rehearsals. How many hours did you prepare for these scenes?

ET: The cast operated on a schedule almost like a real ballet company. We would train together in the mornings when we weren’t shooting ballet scenes. Next, we’d take class and warm up together and then have various rehearsals throughout the day. The dancers in the final performance worked with our choreographer, Ethan Steifel, almost every day as he created the original piece for the show. Long hours on set and off. Some of the shoot days in the studio set were 15 or 16 hour days, especially in the beginning when our production team was figuring out how to tackle the beast of shooting ballet.

AM: What do you love about playing Mia?

ET: She’s no nonsense. Blunt. Honest. Sexy. Manipulative. But deeply insecure. I love her darkness. Some would call her a mean girl. I hope most
people would say she’s not like me. It is hard to understand why people behave that way until you figure out their vulnerability. Mia’s arc was a slow burn. She started out as this one thing and became something else as the story unfolded. Also, she had some pretty good one-liners. I love a good comeback. Especially when it’s written for me. I can never seem to come up with them quickly enough in real life.

AM: What similarities and differences exist between you and the character?

ET: I think we posses a similar fire. I am pretty passionate about stuff. I have an extreme personality. If I’m into something, I am SUPER into it. And if I dislike something it is dead to me. I also like to think I infused her with a little pluckiness. I’m a true goofball. Someone on twitter recently called me a ‘glamorous clown’. I will no longer go by any other title. 

AM: What was your favorite part of the show?

ET: I loved all of the milestones, such as our first table read when we were all trying to figure out our characters; the first class together as a company; watching the sun come up over the East River on a Saturday morning after wrapping the final scene for the entire show; watching the pilot episode at the network in LA with my agent and manager; and reuniting with the cast for our premiere in NYC.

AM: What can you tell us about next season?

ET: Unfortunately we are not doing a 2nd season!:( Flesh and Bone was released as a limited series to stand on its own!

AM: Athleisure includes styles that reflects looks worn throughout your lifestyle, what are your go to looks?

ET: I love a printed legging. Lululemon or Bandier. I like funky colors and prints with a neutral oversized top and boots. Gauzy white t-shirt, a blazer and a beanie or my MN Twins cap. :) All things cashmere - all of the time. Nikes with everything, I love comfy footwear. Ballet did a number on my feet, so if at all possible I will wear flats or athletic wear. Harem pants or high-waisted/pleated/tapered pants of any kind. Smartwool socks. Always.

AM: How do you stay in shape?

ET: I have a Crunch membership. I am a cardio junkie, but i dont love group fitness. If at all possible, I prefer to be outside. I run almost everyday. Outside, I’ll run a mix of terrain, and on the treadmill I like to do sprint and hill intervals. In the summertme, I ride my bike everywhere. I also use studio space at the gym to do my own ballet and yoga exercises. I listen to my body and ballet gave me a good self discipline. I will never decline the invitation to take a fun dance class with friends, though.

AM: In your free time what are 3 things that you enjoy doing?

ET: I love to cook. I wish my kitchen were bigger. I live in a tiny studio. Maybe someday I’ll have the luxury of counterspace in a NYC kitchen.
I frequently take myself to the movies. I sneak a beer in my purse, get a popcorn, and turn my phone off. It is an awesome escape from the mayhem of the city.

Traveling has become a favorite and often impulsive activity. If i have time off and an opportunity to go anywhere, I’ll do it. Currently on the wanderlust list: Thailand, Spain, Croatia and Ireland.

AM: How do you maintain your balance between work, friends and more?

ET: I try to take enough time for myself. As long as I can have an evening to myself once a week to have a good workout, cook a meal, get a manicure, read, etc, I’m in balance. This is a tricky business as we are often living out of a suitcase, the inbox is full, you have 3 scripts to read, and you owe your mom a phonecall. Adulting and living in NYC is hard, in showbiz or not!

AM: What kind of role do you see yourself playing next?

ET: I can’t say what is up next for me yet! Flesh and Bone was such an intense project, I’m thinking about swinging in the opposite direction with something really hilarious. I’m enjoying being in the TV world, as a lot of incredible people are writing and working in Television right now. The scripts I am reading just keep getting better. Long term, I’d like to do more film. I like changing things up and TV tends to be a long term commitment.

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