Step into the world of ballet beyond the spotlight with our exclusive feature! Each edition offers a glimpse into the off-stage lives of your favorite dancers, showcasing their unique hobbies and passions. Discover the surprising and delightful activities that make these artists’ lives as captivating as their performances.
SIERRA LEVIN
Indianapolis Ballet
Soloist
@siierrajade
Essential item in your dance bag?
Lipstick.
Movie you can re-watch till the end of time?
The Harry Potter movies.
Dancer who’s inspired you?
Marianela Núñez.
Song/artist/playlist you’ve been playing on repeat?
“The Adventure” by Angels & Airwaves
Least favorite dance step?
Frappé at the barre.
How do you like to spend your time outside of dance?
Baking sweet treats and sourdough bread.
Best place to hang out in your company’s home city?
Pins Mechanical Company.
Dream role?
Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.
Go-to coffee shop order?
Vanilla latte.
Essential post-show ritual?
I always get a cheeseburger and Oreo milkshake after our last show.
ABOUT SIERRA
Sierra Levin is a native of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Ms. Levin received her dance training at Metropolitan Ballet Academy in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania under the direction of Lisa Collins Vidnovic and MBA faculty members Denise Somrack D’Angelo, Denis Gronostayskiy, and Natalya Zeiger. While a student at Metropolitan, Ms. Levin performed a variety of principal roles including Kitri / Don Quixote pas de deux (Petipa), The Snow Scene pas de deux from The Nutcracker (Rodham), Black Swan pas de deux (Petipa), and Medora from Le Corsaire (Petipa), as well as soloist and principal roles in contemporary works choreographed by Kanji Segawa (Alvin Ailey), Tommie-Waheed Evans (Philadanco), and Sarah Mettin (Mettin Movement).
From 2009–2012, Ms. Levin appeared in various roles in Pennsylvania Ballet’s The Nutcracker (Balanchine) and as the principal female in Meet Us at the Corner (Take it Away Productions, 2014)—a collaborative project for six tap dancers and four ballet dancers with choreography by Elizabeth Holowchuk and Dorothy Wasserman.
Ms. Levin was awarded 2nd Place in the 2015 Youth America Grand Prix’s Senior Classical division semi-finals in Boston. Her summer studies include full merit scholarships to programs at Boston Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and Richmond Ballet.
In 2015, Sierra attended Carolina Ballet’s summer program as a trainee and stayed for two seasons as a company trainee. While at Carolina Ballet, Ms. Levin had the opportunity to work with Robert Weiss, Zalman Raffael, Debra Austin, Marin Boieru, Melissa Podcasy, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and Olga Kostritzky. Ms. Levin performed in various productions such as Robert Weiss’ Symphonie Fantastique, Beethoven 9th Symphony, Neptune in Planets, and various roles in The Nutcracker. Ms. Levin was also seen in Zalman Raffael’s Variation on a Theme, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Balanchine), and Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s production of Carmina Burana.
Ms. Levin joined Indianapolis Ballet as a company apprentice in January 2018, was promoted to company member in 2019, and is delighted to be a soloist of Indianapolis Ballet.
Featured image by Sonja Clark
Image 1 by Moonbug Photography
Image 2: “Waltz Girl” in Serenade by Sonja Clark
Image 4 by John Crowe, Indy Dance Photography
Image 5 by Claire Thomas
Image 6: “Choleric” in Four Temperaments by Sonja Clark
