From the street to the studio to the stage, Drew Nelson is a
marvel of calm, resolute strength.
It’s tough to imagine a physical endeavor more difficult than
ballet (ask any professional football player pushed to use
classical dance to improve on the field!) Perhaps that’s why it’s
such an appealing art to watch for so many peopleyou know theres no
way to achieve that level of elegance without exceptional
discipline, intensive training, and physics-defying strength.
That’s what makes Drew Nelson so special. At the promising age
of twenty-three, he is one of the world-renowned Boston Ballets
dancers, having been promoted last year to a second soloist. He is,
essentially, the perfect dancera strong, lithe body articulated by
beautifully arched feet and an ability to rise above the
challenging technique to feeland projectgenuine joy. Nelsons rise
was meteoric, not that you’d ever know it from talking to him. His
warmth and humility are at complete odds with his skill.
For me, it is not about the rank, its about growing as an
artist. It pushes me to new limits.
Today, Nelson is never not busy. His training schedule makes it
abundantly clear that dancers especially those of his caliberwork
at Olympic levels on their craft. Beyond being in awe of his days
of workouts, classes, rehearsals and performances, we are inspired
by his deviation from a one track-minded twenty-something, to a
wellness-seeking and mindful young artist and athlete.
Each day, I wake up, enjoy a big breakfast and engage in
approximately forty minutes of prehabilitation exercises and
warm-ups, recounts Nelson. We have class at 9:45, so I ride my bike
over to the studio. I typically have three hours of rehearsal time,
an hour break for lunch, and then another three hours. So depending
on the show, I may have six hours of rehearsal each day. If were in
the peak of a performance and rehearsing in the theater on stage,
we arrive a bit later, around 11:45 a.m. After breaking for dinner,
we turn into night owls, rehearsing until around 10:30 p.m.
Performances typically begin at 7:30 p.m., while matinees kick off
at 1:30 p.m.
This translates into five or six weekly performances. Dancing in
The Nutcracker requires an even deeper commitment, with
performances totaling between six and eight each week.
Photography
Nelsons introduction to ballet was love at first sight. His
journey began nearly seventeen years ago when his mom enrolled him
in dance in Princeton, New Jersey.
As a kid, I loved the show Power Rangers and wanted to do
karate. My mom told me that if I wanted to do karate, then I had to
do balletmy sister was taking dance lessons herself and my mom
didnt want to drive around to all these different places.
From there, the Omaha, Nebraska native honed his young talent as
a student at the School of American Ballet and American Ballet
Theater Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. At age ten, Nelson was
featured in the BBC documentary series My Life As A Child,
chronicling his early dance aspirations over the course of nearly
one year. At thirteen, he briefly reduced his ballet commitments
and engaged mostly in local dance classes, allowing him to enjoy
the freedom of his teenage years. Soon after, Nelson moved to
Florida to train with renowned ballet teacher and coach, Peter
Stark.
For most, the decision to be a professional dancer is made as a
child, with most careers truly launching between the ages of
eighteen and twenty. There are some, though, who go to college to
study dance and then get hired by a professional company later in
their lives.
Nelson was later awarded a scholarship to attend The Royal
Ballet School in London, England, and upon graduating in 2014, he
joined the Royal Danish Ballet.
Photography
Nelsons vast repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary
works. His talent has landed him principal roles with the Ballet,
including Von Rothbart in Mikko Nissinens Swan Lake and Snow King
in The Nutcracker.
Both are staple, classical ballets that I feel like everyone
should definitely experience.
Standing at just over 61″, Nelson has performed the role of the
stilt-walking Mother Ginger three times. Appositely, his earliest
role was as a little Polichinelle boy, one of Mother Gingers
children. Before taking into the theater, Nelson had only one
rehearsal in studio working with the over fifty-pound costume.
Every year it gets easier and easier, Nelson told the Boston
Ballet Staff of the role. Its just like riding a bike.
With a skill that is timeless and treasured worldwide, Nelsons
nearly lifelong career has afforded him the opportunity to perform
in a myriad of international cities across Europe and Russiawhere
ballet is the visiting card of its culture. He and the Ballet will
travel to Paris in the Spring.
Surprisingly so, Nelson is a self-proclaimed homebody.
Staycations are my thing. I have been a dancer with the Boston
Ballet for four seasons now, and I am so grateful for the amazing
travel opportunities that have entered my life because of my
position. That being said, sometimes I think the best part of
traveling is coming homeis that okay to admit?
Nelsons relaxing abode is situated on the top floor of a
charming 5th floor walk-up facing the South Ends Blackstone Squarea
home he purchased through Daria McLean of Gibson Sothebys
International Realty. Part condo, part treehouse, part bike shop,
as he describes it, Nelsons home is the subject of one of his
top-priority ventures outside his career. On his free afternoons,
youll often find him scrolling through Instagram in search of home
design inspiration.
Photography
Im a lover of the classics, both in dance and home design, so I
take great pleasure in the Victorian row houses, iron gates, and
historic pocket parks that surround me as I bike through the
neighborhood. On mild winter afternoons, the bare trees in
Blackstone Square reveal packs of dogs running through the park. I
return home each day feeling refreshed and excited to embrace the
harmony of my routine.
His passion for the beautiful urban community in which he lives
and works has incited some exciting ambitions.
Real estate is certainly a career I hope to pursue in the
future. I love the process of dance as much as the performance, and
I think that process coincides well with real estate. You begin
working closely with people and you get to know them and enjoy an
incredible process of discovery. When it all ends, youve
experienced a journey together and can celebrate the beautiful
results of your hard work.
His dream role?
Albrecht in Giselle. The ballet has stood the test of timenot
only because of the otherworldly beauty of its ballet blanc, or
white act, but because of the universal passion and drama of its
storyline. Also, Siegfried in Swan Lake.
To learn more about Drew Nelson, visit the Boston
Ballet’s website
here.
To explore more content published in the2018 Second
Edition o The Collection magazine,click here.