How a Mentor Changed My Life

Who are the people who have changed your life? Somewhere in the middle of celebrating Mother’s Day I thought about someone who was like a mother to me: my first ballet teacher, Irene Wiley Lander (referred to as “Miss Wiley” to her students). Even though she wasn’t my mother she was a very important part of my life. She was not only the person who shaped my dance technique, but the driving force that lead me to audition for the School of American Ballet, which eventually led to a professional...