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Lindsey Frattare, an Ohio native, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. While at SMU, she performed in works by Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Allison Chase, and William Forsythe. Lindsey moved to Chicago in 2007 to join the scholarship program at the Lou Conte Dance Studio (the home of Hubbard St. Dance Chicago) under the direction of Claire Bataille. She has also attended summer programs with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Toronto Dance Theater, River North Dance Chicago, Spectrum Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Northwest Professional Dance Project. Lindsey has performed in an original work by Eddie Ocampo, Mark Duthu, Autumn Eckman and Winifred Haun. Lindsey, Assistant to the Director, joined Winifred Haun & Dancers in February of 2008.
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1. What does your daily schedule as a free lance artist entail?
First, I always take a "warm up" class and then pretty much head right to rehearsal. Free lance directors most often rent studio space by the hour, so they want to spend time choreographing, not warming us up. It's important to be ready to go. I will work for a couple of hours learning new choreography and then will cool down and either head to my evening job or home to do errands and such.
FYI - Free lance is different from full-time company work, in that rehearsals are not full time. We work toward one specific project at time and not necessarily a whole season. We rehearse in different studio spaces, depending on the day. Also, the rehearsals are not always at the same time during the day or week. We have to work around many schedules: the directors, the other dancers and of course, our own that the schedule is never routine!
2. Typically, how many meals/snacks do you have a day? What do those meals/snacks consist of?
I always eat a big breakfast either with cereal or oatmeal and then also have fruit and cottage cheese or yogurt.
After that, I tend to snack the whole day until dinner on bananas, dried fruit, pretzels, nuts and protein bars.
For dinner, I eat a lot of chicken breasts, rice and salads. I am a sucker for both Taco night and Spaghetti Night!
AND, I always have dessert!
3. What did your daily schedule in college entail? Did you find it difficult to balance your studies with all of your rehearsals?
In college at Southern Methodist University, I always took two dance classes and two academic classes a day. Those would all end by five pm and I had ONE hour for dinner. At six pm rehearsals started for the MainStage shows until 10pm. If my peers and I were also working on a student choreography show (2-3 times a year), we would then rehearse for another two hours until midnight. Whoo. They were definitely long days, so I did a lot of studying late at night or on the weekends. My professors were all very accommodating to my hectic schedule. If I ever needed an extension on a project or paper, they were open it. Just ask. They wanted me to do well. It seems crazy now, but during my four years, I had a double major (dance and public relations), a waitressing job and I was the president of a student organization called MAPS. I was busy, so I always had an assignment book and a to-do list.....
THE POINT: In college, there can be a lot of wasting time. Students call it "BS"-ing. The key is to use all those free moments and transition times between classes and rehearsals and you will actually see that you won't need more hours in the day.
4. How do you feel your college experience enhanced your dancing?
The dance world is hard and sometimes abrasive. College gave me a nurturing and an equally challenging environment, where there was NO judgement. Also, college is about meeting new people and having new experiences. Those life experiences affected my dancing, even to this day. I am so glad I went to college.
5. Have you had any injuries? If so, what were they, and what proactive steps did you take to heal them?
Knock on WOOD! (I literally did that!) I have never had any serious injuries, however I have had a muscle injury to my back. Nothing a heating pad and rest could not fix.
6. Do you ever find yourself needing a mental break from the demanding dance lifestyle? If so, how do you cope with it?
Yes. Dancers are workers and sometimes the body and MIND does not feel the way you want it to. In that case, I do my best to tell myself that it is just one day. No big deal. I also try to surround myself with friends, especially other dancers that know exactly what I am going through. For Example, Angela and Kevin always know what to do or say to make me laugh. I do my best to get as much positive energy as I can from them. AND if I still need more, a little ice cream always seems to help. :)
7. Roughly, how many hours of sleep do you get a night? If you're not able to get adequate sleep, what helps you get through the day to stay motivated?
Hmmm.... about 7 hours give or take. Honestly, a posititve attitude is what keeps me going. I know it's a little cheesy, but If I can get myself in the right mindset, my lack of sleep is irrelevant. We, Dancers always have a lot on our minds and quieting that mind before bed is sometimes a challenge. My boyfriend, Weston, always says, "if your body needs sleep, it will."
8. Aside from dance, what other professional areas interest you?
How lovely of you to ask! I am actually very interested in people....helping people. Just like my mother and my grandmother, I have always wanted to be a nurse.
9. Overall, what is your perception on wellness in your dance career?
Wellness is mind, body and soul. Sometimes they work in unison and sometimes they don't. For me, Wellness is just about appreciating the ride.
*** Lindsey