Samantha Lewis can’t remember a Christmas without Nutcracker.
She’s been a dancer since she was 4 and a company member since she was 19 (she’s 27 now).
So she didn’t take her decision to retire lightly.
Lewis will take her final bow after the last performance of Sleeping Beauty on Sunday, May 8. She’ll go on to pursue a degree in industrial systems engineering at The Ohio State University in the fall.
Below, Lewis, who you may also know from her “A Day in the Life of a Ballerina” feature on Broad and High, shares her thoughts on retirement, favorite roles, what she’ll miss most (and what she won’t).
On why she’s retiring…
I’ve been taking college classes in the evening, and I’ve been really interested in what I’m studying, so I feel like it’s the right time for me to explore a different area besides ballet. That’s the biggest reason. I’ve been in ballet my entire life, since I was 4 years old here. I just feel like it’s time for me to see what else is out there.
On when she started thinking about retirement…
The second half of this season. Dance has fulfilled my life in so many ways, and it’s made me so happy, and I never wanted something that gave me such joy to ever make me feel bitter or sad, and I always felt that I wanted to leave at a peak. I knew that dance wasn’t the only thing I wanted to do. So, knowing those things, I guess once I started taking classes and really realizing I enjoyed something else and found something else I wanted to do, it kind of all fell into place. The thing that’s hard is admitting it. Dance is part of our identity, ultimately. I’ve been in Nutcracker here since I was 8, so I’ve never had a Christmas without a Nutcracker that I can really remember.
On deciding to make ballet a career…
I think I decided in middle school some time. I always loved to dance. We did a production of Romeo and Juliet. It was David Nixon’s version, and there were only like three or four kids in it, and they treated us like professionals. We were called to company rehearsals, and I think I got more of a flavor of what it would be like to be a professional, and I think that’s when I was like I want to do this. I just wanted to spend all of my time here when I was a kid.
On being asked to join the company…
2008 I joined the company. I was 19. It was so awesome. Gerard [Charles, former artistic director] had meetings with us all and said, “I would love to offer you a contract, but no women are leaving, so I don’t think that I’m going to have anything for you.” Then one day I was in Studio A practicing after class, and Gerard was like, “Can I speak with you?” And he took me into an office and said, “I have an apprentice contract for you.” I was so excited. I think I was in shock. I really owe Gerard so much because he really believed in me. One of the things I think is amazing about him is he could see potential in people that you maybe wouldn’t have picked from an audition. He was so willing to develop them and help them grow and invest in them. That was what he did with me because when I got my job I was not ready for it.
On her favorite roles…
So many. Clara is probably my number one because it comes very naturally to me. I like to smile and be pretty. 18+1 was a really, really awesome opportunity because it was just something different, and we had never done any work like that before. Symphony in C—I felt very proud of myself once I did that because Carrie [West, former BalletMet dancer] tore her meniscus in dress rehearsal in Cincinnati at 10:30 at night the night before opening night in a different city with a live orchestra, and I filled in for her. That was terrifying, but it was very rewarding. I like things where I can create a character. I liked doing Jazz Moves. I liked doing Who Cares? I really liked Bang, Bang.
On what’s kept her going…
I think the moments that have always kept me going are very unexpected. It can be just something as simple as you and your partner on stage feeling super connected, and you never know when that’s going to happen. It’s hard to be present all of the time and just enjoying what you’re doing. So those little random moments in between—that’s kind of what I live for because it is really hard what we do day in and day out.
On what she’ll miss…
Dance-wise, I’ll really miss jumping. I love to jump. I’ll also really miss adagio. I love those things the most. Performing-wise, I will not miss the stress, but I will miss those moments after the show that you feel that rush of reward and gratitude. I’ll super miss my girls in the dressing room, hanging out before the show because I’m not going to have this with any other coworkers. We’re best friends. Working somewhere where everyone is passionate about what they’re doing I think is rare. I’ll definitely miss that—passionate people. I’ll miss the people a lot for sure.
On what she won’t miss…
I won’t miss icing my feet every night. I only have 14 more times of doing that—I’ve already calculated. I won’t miss putting on pointe shoes after lunch. I won’t miss my body hurting. That’s also definitely a consideration with my retirement because I have a labrum tear in my hip, and I have bone spurs in both of my big toes, and they’re painful every day of my life. I won’t miss sewing pointe shoes.
On what she’s studying…
I’m at Columbus State, and right now I’m taking Calculus II in the evenings. Next autumn I’ll be at Ohio State [studying] engineering. I want to do industrial systems engineering.
On why she chose engineering…
Well, I really like math. Originally I was thinking biomedical engineering because dancers have such a sensitivity about their bodies, and I want to be able to use that knowledge in some way. But then when I really started to examine what I’m good at and what I see natural solutions to—is like efficiency. I would like to do something with ergonomics and making a company more productive or decrease their costs—things like that. Also, my dad has his PHD in industrial engineering. My younger brother is an electrical engineer. So, it runs in the family.
On balancing college classes and ballet…
It’s challenging. It’s nice having a switch in ways of thinking. For me, it’s been super rewarding to do something that I do completely for myself. With ballet, you can be too tall, too short. There’s just so much like that. Whereas with school, if I study and if I work hard, I can succeed. Math comes pretty naturally to me but not as naturally as it comes to my brother. He barely has to study, but I can do just as well as him because I’m willing to put in the time.
On being the only girl in Calculus II…
I’m the only girl in the class. I think that I feel I need to represent our gender [laughing].
As a ballet dancer, you show up to an audition with 250 girls and, like, 10 boys, with 5 looking like they’ve never danced a day in their lives, whereas every girl has the perfect leotard and the perfect everything. And then, engineering is totally the opposite. I love it.