Meet Gavin Larsen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gavin Larsen.

Hi Gavin, 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 backstories with our readers.
I grew up in New York City, where I studied to become a ballet dancer. I went on to dance professionally for 18 years in companies all over North America: Seattle, Calgary, Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR. I retired from performing to focus on teaching and writing about dance. In 2017, I moved to Asheville, NC, to take a faculty position at the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville. During the years following my retirement from the stage, in addition to freelance dance journalism, I’d been working on writing a book about life as a ballet dancer. After years of work on writing and finding my way into the literary world, my book was published in 2021 by the University Press of Florida.

The publication of my book, Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life, has given rise to an array of new connections, opportunities, and experiences I had never imagined. One of the most exciting and inspiring results of entering the world of author-dom has been meeting other authors, particularly those whose work aligns with mine. Fostering those connections and mutual support networks led to my upcoming appearance at Quail Ridge Books on October 12 with two other ballet-centric authors. The three of us will read from our books and discuss the intersection of ballet, writing, and history.

What initially brought me to Raleigh, however, was an invitation to teach at CC&Co Dance Complex, Raleigh’s remarkable dance center. Their director and founder, Christy Curtis, reached out to me last year asking if I was interested in helping her students discover the nuances, power, and freedom of ballet technique. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I have been thrilled to journey to Raleigh regularly over the past year to work with the talented, dedicated, and beautiful dancers of CC&Co Dance Complex.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think any really interesting or compelling road is smooth. My own journey from obsessed young ballet student to professional dancer to writer, teacher, and author has certainly been colored by multiple periods of doubt, disappointments, setbacks, and more. As a dancer, injury is a fact of life.

I had several, including two ankle surgeries while I was at the peak of my career, and two hip surgeries after I retired.

The work of recovering from such serious events takes a massive toll on one’s mind and body, and I certainly struggled mightily. I never learned how to write. I didn’t get formal training and have learned on the job, so to speak.

This has been rough in that again, the self-doubt and fear of making mistakes have at times been crippling. But achieving publication was an enormous boost to my confidence.

Now, the biggest challenge I face is what many writers are plagued with: how to continue on after an initial success.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a hybrid of sorts in that I have had three careers already: dancer, writer, and teacher. Ballet is my life’s work, and I feel I was put on this planet to exist within that art form, appearing in multiple ways.

As a dancer, I was known for my precision, attention to detail, musicality, and love of stillness. It sounds odd to declare that a dancer loves stillness, but I relished how I could use the contrast of a range of movement qualities to capture an audience’s attention– including moments of suspension within time and space.

As a teacher, I emphasize those same elements: detail, focus, musicality, and quality of movement. It is an amazing joy to see a student understand and embrace what I am teaching and then embody it. I feel as if I am seeing a tiny part of myself come alive again.

As a writer, I think I actually use some of the same tools I used as a performer: a blend of deep consideration and trustful abandon. I love to shape words into phrases the same way I took individual steps and created fluidity. And of course, anything I can do to educate and enlighten the general, non-dancing public about the incredible truths, magic, and humanist power of dance is what motivates me.

Any big plans?
For now, I am focusing on my teaching and freelance dance journalism. I have several ideas for larger writing projects but have not actively developed anything yet. I’m taking some time to let ideas marinate and hoping clarity will come. My passion for teaching will always remain. I look forward to continuing to train aspiring dancers of any age and of any motivation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gavinlarsen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gavinalarsen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GavinLarsenAuthor/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gavinalarsen
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_vuiWHothM

Image Credits
Grayson Troxler, Bruce McCammon, and Scott Treadway