Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Cavaco
Hi Brittany, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started doing ballet when I was three years old. I fell in love with the challenge and beauty of it and by the age of nine I was pushed to train on a serious level in the strict Russian Vagonva method. At 17, I chose to defer college and moved to New York City to further my training in hopes to becoming a professional ballerina.
I really loved performing but at this stage in my pre-professional career we would spend all our time training and only get a few opportunities a year to perform. So I started working with photographers, videographers and artists to create photographs, videos and short films that combined fashion and dance in non traditional urban settings. My photos and videos went viral and I started to gain a following under my handle @TheBallerina. I started doing campaigns and commercials for different brands and I remember feeling so excited when I did a worldwide campaign for Fuji Film and had a huge 2 screen billboard in Times Square!
At 19 I accepted my first professional contract with The Washington Ballet where I spent 3 seasons, got promoted to Demi-soloist with The Ballet Theater of Maryland. Following, I moved to London to dance with English National Ballet and then to LA to dance with The Los Angeles Ballet. I left the Los Angeles Ballet in 2020 to pursue freelancing as a principal guest artist and actress. Since then I have directed the Steezy Studio Ballet Program and created a global inclusive dancewear line with the brand Só Dança. I also recently started my own company, The Ballet Agency, which looks to bridge the gap between Ballet and the entertainment industry. I have been featured in commercials, TV shows and just finished my 2nd feature film.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
While in my first year training in New York, I was told by a male ballet director (one that I had admired and idolized for so long) that “I should give up and quit ballet because my body was too womanly and no one would ever want to hire a fat dancer like me.” At the time I was only 115 pounds and I was absolutely devastated. Before this I had a good relationship with my natural figure. I was always aware that my body was more “womanly” than the average dancer but I was optimistic that the dance world’s mentality towards weight and body diversity had evolved. This moment was a huge catapult for my body dysmorphia and eating disorders. I was still having to work with this director daily and it was so hard to see him praise dancers that were starving themselves and to have him continually make negative comments about my body. I spent months debating if he was right and contemplated giving up ballet completely. Thankfully I left his school and started working with a female ballet instructor who valued my talent and athletic body. I remember there being a moment where I promised myself that I would work hard to prove him wrong. A year later, I was able to do that as I received numerous professional contract offers.
It was no doubt an extremely difficult journey to becoming a professional. In a way, he was right. I did over 30 auditions that year and for a majority of them I was cut immediately upon entering the room, before they could even see me dance, due to my non traditional “womanly” body.
I made a promise to myself as I became a professional that I would do my best to help the ballet world become more body positive and embrace all body types. I used my social media followings (@TheBallerina) to create conversations around ballet being more representative of all body types. When I created my dance wear line, the Brittany Cavaco Collection, my main goal was to create a dancewear line that was inclusive to dancers of every shape and size
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Ballet Agency ?
The Ballet Agency is the world’s first and only ballet consulting company made to elevate the standards of Ballet in entertainment. The Ballet Agency was born out of pure frustration after seeing countless brands, commercials TV Shows and films misrepresenting ballet on screen. From brands using models to perform “ballet” in a commercial to TV shows hiring non-ballerina’s to dance on pointe, the majority of ballet in the entertainment industry looked like a mockery.
There are many men and women, like myself, that are professional ballet dancers with experience in the commercial, film and tv industries who could be cast in these roles. I feel that there is a large gap between the ballet and entertainment industries and before The Ballet Agency there was only a few people with a strong enough understanding of ballet technique in the casting, conceptualization, choreographing, movement directing and editing process of most projects involving ballet.
One time I was hired to work on a TV pilot for an upcoming show on a huge streaming platform. The budget was large and I was one of the ballerinas hired to dance in the episode. However the choreographer they had hired had never ever done ballet and their lack of understanding ballet technique was really evident in the show, leading it to not get picked up. I often get the question “why does it actually matter hiring real ballet dancers and choreographers?” I love to give the example of medical shows such as Grey’s Anatomy. On the show there are medical consultants who work with the writers to make sure anything and everything medical is factual. On set there are medical consultants who work with and guide the actors through their different surgeries and procedures. Even though the majority of people watching the show aren’t in the medical field, in order for the show to be genuine and keep its claimed reputation you need each procedure and medical conversation to look and feel authentic. Ballet is a niche area in the entertainment industry but a large enough presence and a respected art form that should demand it being done to the highest standards.
From a brand and production standpoint, hiring The Ballet Agency for any project including ballet is invaluable. Working with non professionals (especially with pointe shoes) not only looks bad but can cause injury and many issues on set. With us you will get access to the highest level of ballet artists, have a team of ballet consultants on hand and feel confident knowing that we are improving aesthetics and reducing liabilities.
The Ballet Agency has a team of over of the top 50 professional ballet artists available for different projects. Our artists include ballet dancers, ballet choreographers, models, videographers, photographers and dance stylists. Each of whom are well known throughout the ballet world for their standout technique, artistry and talent. Our services include: Casting, Talent, Choreography, Styling, Vision & Concept, Movement Direction, Location Scouting, Editing and Dancer & Set Safety. To learn more about The Ballet Agency you can check out our website, www.The-Ballet-Agency.com or our Socials @TheBalletAgency
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I love this question! The first memory that popped into my head was when I got cast in the leading role of Clara in the Nutcracker. I was 12 years old and although this was a dream role of mine, I was not expecting to get the part in the slightest. I remember feeling so much excitement I don’t think I slept a wink the night casting came out. I spent the next two months in rehearsals with the company for hours every single day and I loved every second of it. When we got to the stage and I had my first show with a sold out audience I remember having this overwhelming feeling that this was what I was supposed to do with my life. I never wanted that Nutcracker season to end and I look back so fondly on it. Ballet is such a hard and challenging art form. I often wonder if I would have fallen in love with it and become a professional if I hadn’t had this experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.The-Ballet-Agency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theballerina
- Facebook: https:// https://www.facebook.com/TheBallerinaBrittany
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCro36mkMDt0XkPJUsR-SY_A
- Other: https://www.BrittanyCavaco.com
Image Credits
Brittany Cavaco Headshot – Tiffany
BC Paris Image – Photographer Saaggo
Brittany Cavaco Jump – Photographer James Jin
Brittany Cavaco Ballet Attitude – John Camino
Brittany Cavaco Leg Side – @The.theif.of.time
