Colleen Thomas

How has being a dancer shifted/changed since becoming a parent as well?

Colleen Thomas

Being a parent is everything. Or rather, my children are everything. I’ve spent most of my life as a self-absorbed artist. How can I look at my children’s sweet faces and care whether I got that gig or not? Nothing else really matters. I enjoy dancing more now because my world is bigger- because I care about staying open…because I have learned from my children that life is amazing and full of possibility, and because I want to model strength, clarity, and compassion.

I felt a sudden sense of power once I had my first child, Olivia. I think I went into survival mode (dancers are good at this) and I figured I had to support this baby and I needed to figure out how to do that now! I became very clear about the choices I made and how I negotiated work. I began my love affair with the feminist perspective.

Rachael McClellan Leonard

It’s a constant juggling act to balance career, marriage, motherhood, graduate school and self. I find that I have to be extremely organized, painfully type A, drastically resilient, and totally accountable. At the same time, I sometimes have to employ my sense of humor and my intermittent ability to know when to stop burning the candle at both ends. Yoga definitely helps. Maintaining some perspective is crucial. And I am fortunate to have surrounded myself with a remarkable band of family and friends. 

Jill Patterson

That is the million-dollar question. Fortunately, I am very passionate about teaching, and teaching offers a more stable income and a consistent time commitment. I honestly think the idea of “having it all” is a bit off. When I am with my children for a long stretch I think I should be doing more professionally. And, when I am busy at the college or away from home more than usual, I yearn to be home with my children. I usually have the sense that I am not doing enough professionally and that I am certainly not doing enough as a mother! It is a constant push and pull that I was not prepared for in any way. I have talked with close friends in the field who have children and I know I am not alone in my feelings, and I think it is imperative that families, and mothers in particular, talk about it more. Again, that all being said, I couldn’t imagine doing one and not the other!

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