LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It was a perfect Wednesday evening in Lexington for a sort of homecoming.
"It's just been so rewarding and everything I could ever dream of," said Skylar Eads.
Eads knows the Ballet Under the Stars stage in Woodland Park as well as anyone.
"I started performing in Ballet Under the Stars when I was six years old," Eads said. "When I was 14, I got accepted into the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, which is a ballet conservatory, and I went there to train, and every summer, I would come back and perform in the show,"
Now, Eads is back in a different way at the 33rd annual Ballet Under the Stars. It's her first time choreographing a show.
"It's really surreal and so weird because I remember when I was a little bunny and a little firefly and little Ana, and I was a kid, and I looked up to the choreographers, who I had known my whole life and now they're in that position, and I'm in this position!" Eads said.
Eads said that experience helps her relate to the young dancers she's coaching this week.
"I understand that you're nervous, but know that there are little kids out in the audience that want to become ballerinas someday, and you are their idol. Just being able to share that with them has been really nice," she said.
Eads said she wants to inspire the next generation of young ballerinas who could one day fill her pointe shoes.
"The biggest thing is those little girls out there who are twirling in the back, and they're looking up, and they realize that that can be them one day, and I hope that this invites so many people into our art form that I love so much," she said.
Ballet Under the Stars will be held each night through Sunday. The pre-show, featuring young Central Kentucky dancers begins at 8:00 p.m. and the professional show begins at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Woodland Park entrance for $9.
