Jordan Arthur Nelson (Apprentice) began dancing at the age of 18 at The School of Ballet Minnesota. Over the past seven years, he has been offered scholarships to Boston Ballet, Ballet Chicago, the Dance Institute, and Bosov Ballet. In 2012, he performed with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet as a trainee in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue before joining the corps at Columbia City Ballet. This is Jordan's first season with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet as an apprentice. A Conversation with Jordan Arthur Nelson What is your favorite role to dance and why? My favorite role thus far was probably Hilarion from the ballet Giselle. He is hopelessly in love with a girl who has no eyes for him. It was a great experience trying to be a lover/big brother figure and also dancing to your death. What do you like to do when you are not dancing? I'm always biking and finding biking events to participate in. Besides that, I like to hang out in coffee shops or play Frisbee with my friends. How do you prepare yourself for the physical challenges of rehearsing, performing, and touring? Healthy eating is a must with lots of veggies and lean protein. What is it like to work with Ms. Farrell? Any fun and memorable stories or anecdotes about working with her? One day I was having trouble with a rond de jamb combination at barre. After class Ms. Farrell came up to me and handed me a napkin with an image of the pattern for that combination she had drawn on it. She just said, "Now you can understand what I did." It was a really sweet gesture. What do you think is the most common myth about being a ballet dancer? What do you wish people knew about what it's really like to be a ballet dancer? It's a pretty even split between dubstep, punk, and old school hip hop. What is the biggest reward in your career? Dance has allowed me to travel the country and see places I would otherwise have never been able to see.