Dancer Spotlight - Corey McCullough
Role(s) in Sweet Sorrow?
Unfortunately I can't be in Sweet Sorrow because I'm about to take on a year long assignment for work! However, I'm on the Board of LPBC and can't be more excited about the company's launch and the Sweet Sorrow world premiere!
What is your “Day Job”?
Currently I’m a full-time MBA student at UCLA, but I’ll be starting a position in corporate finance this summer.
When Did You Start Dancing?
At age 4, so it’s been about 27 years!
Why have you kept dancing for so many years?
Community! I danced the typical ballet/tap/jazz combo classes through high school. When I went to college, I didn’t really anticipate going back to dance because I just figured that part of my life was over. However, being away from home, I was looking for a community and found myself as part of the Johns Hopkins University Modern Dance Company. I performed with them during my entire college career (while getting a degree in environmental engineering). After taking two years off to be an investment banker in New York City, I moved to Los Angeles and wanted to find another community. Through some friends I met taking ballet at a local college, I was introduced to Leigh and the rest is history!
The thing about dancers is that even though we’re all different, we all share the same values. We all value hard work and we all strive for perfection (as much as we can). We understand why you would want to wake up early on a Saturday morning and go to class instead of sleeping in and waking up slowly with a cup of coffee. I feel so fortunate to have found such a wonderful, diverse group and I’m very excited to work with everyone on Sweet Sorrow!
Favorite thing about participating in Sweet Sorrow?
There are so many so I’ll just name a few…I love to see everyone band together and work towards a common goal. During our kick-off, it was amazing how everyone offered up his or her own talents from wardrobe to set design to artistic design. Also, I love watching the storytelling process unfold during rehearsals. Last, it’s wonderful to work with my friends! I’ve been dancing with this group for a number of years already and each time I do, everyone is very supportive and encouraging of each other.
Advice for People Considering Taking Ballet Class?
Don’t be intimidated! Ballet has a reputation for being somewhat unforgiving, but that’s a myth. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the most flexible person in the room or if you can’t jump as high as the person next to you. The most important thing is that during each class you work as hard as you can and you don’t beat yourself up if progress is a little slower than you want it to be. Also, you’ll have good days and you’ll have bad days. Recognize which is which. Last, it’s supposed to be fun, so have some!
Stay tuned for more Dancer Spotlights!
