Rising Stars: Meet Zippora Karz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zippora Karz.

Hi Zippora, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I did not grow up with the awareness dance was something you could do for a living. Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1970’s, I did not have much exposure to ballet performances/ or dance performances. But dance is in my lineage. My grandmother danced in Vaudeville and my mother studied at NY’s famed Julliard as a modern dancer. When my sister and I were old enough my mother asked if we wanted to take ballet. She had heard of an amazing teacher, Sheila, near where we lived. My older sister said yes, so I said yes. As fate would have it, that teacher taught in style of the Great George Balanchine. Balanchine is the genius, the greatest choreographer of the 20th century, who brought ballet to America from Russia and founded the New York City Ballet.

Studying with Sheila changed my life. I trained my body to become a vehicle, an instrument for the music. In her studio in the San Fernando Valley, I felt transported. I felt something greater than anything I had experienced. I felt love. Not for a person, but the energy of love. Through Sheila’s guidance and insistence, and the support of my mother, I found myself moving to New York City at the age of 15 to study at the famed School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. By the age of 18, I became a full member of the NYC Ballet. By 20, I was starring as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker, dancing roles created by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. While I had not dreamt of being a ballerina, I had now become one and was loving it.

The following year I was featured in a new ballet by Peter Martins (the company director following Balanchine’s death). It was an incredibly exciting time, but also a very exhausting one. Dancing all day and performing every night, I ignored the strange symptoms I was feeling. I didn’t think anything was wrong. I thought I was feeling thirsty and hungry, spaced out, having to urinate frequently, and losing weight because of the intense schedule and my nerves for a big premiere I had coming up. I would have continued to ignore my symptoms had it not been for the sores under my arms that had become infected. It was terribly painful to lift my arms, not to mention how unattractive it was. I was often dizzy and I found it hard to feel my extremities, particularly my toes when I danced. My diagnosis was informal and cold. I sat in that office and was handed pamphlet after pamphlet about diabetes and its terrifying complications, anything from heart disease and stroke to blindness, kidney failure and loss of limbs. All I could think about was getting back to the theater. I left the doctor’s office confused and annoyed.

Back at the theatre, I convinced myself the blood work was off because of my exhaustion or a lab error. I was a 21-year-old aspiring ballerina with the New York City Ballet. A disease people give money to for charity had nothing to do with me. I was clearly in denial, fueled by the fact that because of my age, doctors assumed I had type 2 diabetes (associated with lifestyle, being overweight and inactivity) and I was put on oral medication. Nowadays, it is more common to have people of all ages diagnosed with both types of diabetes. Everything came crashing down when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Going on insulin felt like the ultimate failure. I hated my body for its inadequacies. I felt hopeless at the thought of how I would juggle shots of insulin with my performance schedule. I was inexperienced with how much insulin to take at any given time before dancing and unaware of the immediate danger of taking too much. I started a balanced insulin program and began looking and feeling better.

Ironically, as I learned how to perform every night without experiencing extreme lows, I also psychologically started to question the reality of my situation. Was this a suitable lifestyle for a person with type 1 diabetes? Maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself. I was exhausted from all the ups and downs with my physiology and from trying so hard to prove I was the same promising dancer I once was. I was not the same. Maybe it was time for me to admit I had accomplished a lot, but it was time to find a more suitable lifestyle for an insulin-dependent diabetic. As much as I wanted to quit dancing, I just could not let myself do it. When I listened to the small voice in my heart, I admitted to myself that if I quit, I would be using diabetes as an excuse. The truth is I was more tired about wishing I could be the dancer I once was, alive and joyful than I was tired of diabetes. I told myself I hadn’t yet danced on the right insulin regime for long enough and didn’t know what was possible. I did not want to look back with regret. I knew I would always wonder, so I had to stay and keep trying.

Nine years after I joined the company (six years after my diagnosis), I was promoted to Soloist Ballerina of the New York City Ballet. I performed with the company another seven years, 16 years total with the company and 13 with diabetes. I loved every performance and am grateful for every moment I had on stage. Today I am a teacher (I teach students of all ages), and I stage Balanchine ballets all over the world as a repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust. I have also authored a memoir, The Sugarless Plum, and a children’s story “Ballerina Dreams” We all have a story. We all experience obstacles that affect our motivation and ability to take the best care possible. I hope we can all find the strength to take care of our bodies so that we may live the life we desire!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I shared earlier, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes my 3rd year in the New York City ballet. My life took a major detour; I was thrown an unexpected curve ball. It was a challenge to figure out the best way to take care of myself physically, and just as importantly emotionally and psychologically. In time I learned the best way to eat for my lifestyle, and I learned how to address the perfectionism that was causing me a tremendous amount of inner turmoil. I wanted to be my full potential as it had once been. It took many years to accept I had a new potential as a person living with a disease. As I learned to have compassion for myself and my body, I had an easier time learning how to nurture myself with healthy foods, rest, and in time even play.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I teach ballet. I am also a mentor and motivator for people to take care of their bodies and their hearts! I work with dancers on a professional level, as well as dancers who find this particular way of moving a great way to exercise and uplift their hearts and souls. I have many adults who always wanted to dance but went into other professions. Dancing later in life helps them on so many levels. It helps balance, brain function, coordination, and all the other benefits of exercise. And it is fun and inspiring. Many of my students go on to dance professionally. I am most proud of the fact that whatever my students choose to do, I have helped them connect with their bodies and souls in a positive way. I am proud of them all. I love sharing the gift of dance, and I love helping others have a positive experience with their bodies, and I love being part of their journeys as they discover their dreams.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Everyone has a different rate of learning. And everyone has different challenges in their bodies. Some people may learn steps faster than others. You can develop the ability to learn easier and faster. And strength and flexibility can be developed. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Some people develop quickly and others are late bloomers. I wish I was not so hard on myself when I was younger. I was not as strong as my older sister so I always felt less than and weak. But I learned a work ethic to keep trying. Also, when I was diagnosed, I compared myself to others who were healthy and not sick. I blamed my body for being inadequate and falling short. I do not believe in just pretending to have a positive attitude when faced with challenges. I believe it is important to allow ourselves to feel all the stages of emotions. Every emotion has a value; anger, grief, sadness, fear, anxiey, hopelessness and even helplessness. I certainly had them all. But as I learned to have compassion for both myself and my feelings, I started to feel a shift. In time, with patience, I came to appreciate the path my life took and the person I developed into because of that path. And then I felt positive about my life. Today I am a teacher, a motivational speaker, and I have written 2 books, my memoir “The Sugarless Plum, and my children’s story, Ballerina Dreams. !!!

Contact Info:

• Email: zipporakarz@gmail.com
• Website: zipporakarz.com
• Facebook: zipporakarz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsYzOjmLnWo3uw60La-_GRA/videos

Image Credits
The photo of me on the rocks in my pointe shoes…photo credit, Mark Harmel