Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Brady.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Emma. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Cleveland, OH. I come from a pretty big family and we weren’t necessarily well off. When I was really young, my mom enrolled me in my first ballet class. And, I say ballet class lightly because, really, it was a bunch of kids in tutus running around together for an hour.
By the time I was 13, I was dancing in a professional training program. I attended summer programs across the country for ballet and competed in Youth America Grand Prix. I didn’t have much of a childhood and I missed out on a lot of critical teenage milestones. In high school, I was dancing close to 15 hours a week and taking high school and college classes. By the time I was 17, I was accepted into Nashville Ballet as a trainee with the company. Following that year, I moved to Santa Barbara, California to dance as a trainee with State Street Ballet.
During my first year in California, I suffered a career-altering injury. I broke my lumbar spine. Everything that I had worked for seemed to be all for nothing. However, I continued to dance on it. I pushed myself so far that I began having issues walking. I was forced to take a couple of months off to recover. After renewing my contract and returning to the company the next season, my body was not the same. I was struggling to keep up and I knew that my heart wasn’t in it anymore. I left the company and ballet for good.
After a year of soul searching, I returned back to school. I moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in community college. I started acting and taking open dance classes when I had the time. I was just recently accepted into University of San Diego! I will be going this fall to study theater and dance. I started dancing again and I have made performing a priority. I have also started doing stand up comedy and have discovered that amidst my hard journey, I am able to make a joke out of it. Ballet will always be a huge part of my identity, but I am excited to see what journey is next.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I left home and joined Nashville Ballet, I was brutally unprepared for the life of a ballet dancer. It is hard. I was dancing close to 30 hours a week, taking college classes, working a part-time job and any free time I had was spent at the gym. I fell easily into an eating disorder and chronic over exhaustion.
When I moved to LA, it was a struggle from the start. Living here and trying to pursue any performance art is so difficult. I’ve been through countless jobs and have moved over four times in two years. It always feels like I’m always broke and I’m not doing enough to get ahead. But, I have learned that money always comes and goes. It really is about who you surround yourself with and what you dedicate your time to that matters at the end of the day. All the obstacles and struggles will dissipate eventually!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
What really sets me apart from others is my perseverance. I left home when I was 17 and have been supporting myself ever since. When I moved to California, my dad was diagnosed with liver and kidney failure. I had to keep flying home during his transplant surgeries and almost lost him last year. On top of that, my brother was admitted into a psychiatric hospital and my mom was working two jobs just to keep our family afloat. With my family falling apart and my spinal injury, it really pressured me to move back home. I knew that I couldn’t give up and that LA had more in store for me. All the stress pushed me to keep going and to strive for a better life. Although there were times where I was absolutely miserable, working four jobs and going to school full time, I have learned how to navigate LA better. I have learned that prioritizing myself is so important. I am, somehow, able to turn any serious incident or situation into a laughing matter. Life is crazy, but at least we can laugh our way through it!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As I mentioned, I am moving to San Diego this fall! I am so excited to pursue a new performing art and see where it takes me. My end going is ultimately to be on Saturday Night Live. I truly believe that my spinal injury was the Universe’s way of telling me that ballet wasn’t all there was for me. Although there are times where I wish I would have kept going, I know that the world of comedy is where I am meant to be. I love making people laugh and I would absolutely love a job where I am able to do that all the time. It will be a drastic change from the introverted ballerina lifestyle I once knew. I am so excited!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emmachristinebrady.wixsite.com/website/resume
- Phone: 2169253662
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsemmabrady/
Image Credit:
Isaac Hackman Photography — instagram: @ih.photos (portraits); Martin O’Connor — (ballet photos in green leotard and in blue leotard)
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
