Interview with HBC’s Incredible Noelle Morrow
Today we had the opportunity to talk with Noelle Morrow, an incredible new member of the HBC community! She shared her thoughts on what it’s like to be a dancer and a scientist and how the two disciplines are interwoven, her experience as a dancer with Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, and her impressions about HBC since joining in September. We really appreciated Noelle’s insightful comments and hope you enjoy her responses to these 15 questions as much as we did!
❤️Audrey and Amy
1. What's your name?
Noelle: My name is Noelle.
2. Where do you currently work, and how long have you worked there?
Noelle: I work at Joslin Diabetes Center. I started working there at the beginning of November of last year, so it’s been almost a year.
3. What do you do at your job? And what do you like most about it?
Noelle: I'm a research assistant, and my work focuses on using CRISPR genome engineering to study diabetes and metabolic pathways. I like it because I'm learning so much. I feel like I'm learning more than I did in school, and I get paid to do it. My coworkers are also great.
4. How has the remote platform affected your work experience?
Noelle: Our lab was shut down for two months. So I went back to my home in New Jersey and was just trying to keep myself busy reading papers, writing presentations, trying to learn some bio stat programming, which wasn't all that successful. But for two months, it was just a lot of time at my computer. Now we're pretty much back to normal operations, which is great because most of the work is hands-on. [note: this information was as of October 24]
5. How many years have you danced ballet and what inspired you to start ballet?
Noelle: I started when I was two years old at the YMCA. My mom grew up doing ballet and also did musical theater a little after college. I think she just put me in thinking this is something my daughter should have an experience doing. But I don't think she ever thought I would still be at it at 23 and be taking it so seriously.
6. Where did you train ballet and could you tell us a little bit about your experience dancing there?
Noelle: So I trained at two small schools in New Jersey. I was at one school until 11. And then I was at another school up until I graduated high school. And that school was very classical Russian; both my teachers were from Russia. It was all ballet and then character once a week -- I absolutely love character dancing. I miss it so much because you don't see it around very often. But we had very little modern and contemporary, which is something that I started doing in summer intensives when I was in high school, and I fell in love with that as well. When I went to college, my program was about 50/50 classical ballet and modern. I chose to go to Skidmore College because I knew I could focus intensely on science and on dance. So it was really hectic managing my schedule because I wanted to do everything for both science and dance. I would be back and forth between dance studio, lab, dance studio, lab all the time which was exhausting. But I loved it! I definitely grew as a dancer. Dancing in college allowed me to look at dancing in a more intellectual way and explore my own artistry.
7. Could you describe your experience being a dancer and a scientist and how the two disciplines have complemented each other in your life?
Noelle: Being a dancer and a scientist is definitely a huge part of my identity, and I'm constantly trying to find how to blend those two together. And as I've gotten older, I've learned to enjoy the process of each much more than the output. I would much rather be in class and in rehearsal all the time, and then the performance is just like sure. So, in both dance and in science, it’s about trying to dive into the process of creating something and being open to exploring new routes as the process changes. Those two -- working in the lab and working in the studio -- are actually very similar in that sense.
8. Can you describe your experience as a dancer with Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome?
Noelle: Yeah, I have a condition called Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS). Mine affects my left leg from my lower back all the way down to my foot. So, one of the things that I deal with is leg length discrepancy. My pelvis is kind of crooked and out of whack, which is very challenging because ballet is so symmetrical. But I think ballet has also helped me manage that condition in my life because I have to teach my body how to be straight. I also have a circulation condition, and I get a lot of pain and swelling at the end of the day. One time I had to do Swan Lake with an ulcer on my big toe. So it's definitely about trying to teach myself how to manage stuff like that. I also started being more open about [my condition] on social media when I was in college. And I would get messages from mothers of three-year-olds saying: “my daughter has KTS, and she just started ballet. You're such an inspiration.” And I would get imposter syndrome from that because it’s just me. But it's so rewarding if I can help even one or two little girls somewhere who are struggling with KTS.
9. What do you think are some of the primary challenges that today's dancers, or perhaps the dance industry as a whole face?
Noelle: I think this is more with traditional companies, but it is the issue of giving dancers a voice, specifically female dancers. Because the industry is so competitive, there is a lot of “okay, I don't like what you have to say -- you're gone” because it is easy to just bring in someone else. That idea is emphasized a lot, and it prevents dancers, specifically young dancers, from bringing out their own voice. And I think that's really important because there is so much there. And so much is getting lost by suppressing that. So I think giving young dancers the chance to explore themselves more is really important.
10. How have you continued dancing during the pandemic, or do you have any favorite places to rehearse or take class?
Noelle: Right now, it's a lot of barre in my living room, and I found that for me, it's better to give myself class. I know there's a lot of online classes out there, but I think having my background in anatomy and biomechanics, which is what a lot of my college experience was like, I know my body better and I can know my space rather than trying to do a Zoom class. I've also been doing Harvard Ballet Company class every week, obviously, to have that community. But for the most part I like giving myself class. Since Boston has been kind of opening up, we have a social distancing class at a studio in Cambridge with one of my favorite teachers, and I go there once a week. So ever since I moved to Boston, his class has been the highlight of my week, and I am so happy to be back there.
11. What is your favorite ballet and why?
Noelle: My favorite ballet is Don Quixote. I just love the energy of it. Jumping has always been my personal favorite thing to do. So the high energy and flirtatiousness of Kitri’s character is one I love.
12. What is your favorite ballet step or part of ballet class?
Noelle: Grande allegro. No question. When I submitted my audition video they said grande allegro was optional, but I was like, there's no way I’m not doing it. So I put on my sneakers and I went out to the parking lot, and I filmed my grande allegro.
13. Who do you regard as a role model in the ballet world and why?
Noelle: Merrit Moore, she was a former HBC member, and she graduated from Harvard and has a PhD in Physics. She's also a professional ballet dancer and dances around Europe. So, I've thankfully been able to connect with her a couple of times through Zoom. She's leading this community of girls involved in both art and science, which I think is amazing. And I'm trying to get more involved in that as well.
14. Given how busy your schedule is, why do you still make space for ballet?
Noelle: It always feels better after class, even if I don't want to go and I'm tired. I just always leave the day feeling better because I can always find something, some idea to explore in class. If I have to tone it back, physically and athletically, I can focus on artistry, and it can be more meditative. There's just always something to dig into and discover.
15. How would you describe your HBC experience so far?
Noelle: I'm still very new. I've just had, I think, three or four company classes, and I'm working with two choreographers for the online show. It’s just really nice. Once I moved to Boston, I was taking open class a lot. So it's really nice to actually have choreography to get to dig into every week and play with, and then eventually it’ll turn into something.