We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Runkle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Our company, Ballet Embody was named after my business partner and I did an informal brain storm/ word cloud with words that we thought could encompass the type of ballets we perform. From the more abstract to the theatrical, our ballets always contain some sort of narrative, and as dancers, we strive to dive into the work and fully “embody” reach role that we play. We almost named it Ballet Embodied (past tense), but a friend of mine pointed out how the phrase should be present tense, since our work as artists is ever-evolving.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I actually co-own two business that align closely with each other.

My first “baby” Ballet Embody is Maryland’s premiere contemporary ballet company located in Carroll County. Co-founded in 2019 by Emily Runkle and Melissa Lineburg, Ballet Embody produces original classical and contemporary works. The concept for Ballet Embody started over beer & wings while a group of bunheads discussed ballet at local wing joint after a performance one day in early 2019. The group yearned for a synergistic environment where dancers could actively participate in the creation process. Their ideals stretched beyond a collaborative process into a realm that was constructive and where dancers enjoyed and fully embodied their dancing. The dancers’ enjoyment wouldn’t stay hoarded in the rehearsal studio and would extend into theatre spaces, sparking appreciation and enjoyment for audiences. We are energized by our dancers and aim to highlight each of their strengths and personalities through thematic and narrative work.

More recently, I co-founded Synergy Space with Jen Graham. Synergy Space is a cooperative space for dance and movement educators, artists, students, and advocates. We offer dance classes for students 8+ both recreation and pre-professional.

Our mission is to build a collaborative community – where educators, practitioners, and artists support and advocate for each other and for their students, where reciprocal mentorship and personal growth is central, and where health and wellbeing is a key component of artistic and embodied development.

Synergy Space is also the “home” to Ballet Embody. While two separate companies, they support each other in camaraderie, values, and physical rehearsal space.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My amazing business partner Melissa has done a ton of work on our social media presence, website, etc. As of now, we do it all ourselves. From scheduled posts for a full month’s worth of daily content, to organizing IG takeovers, to even a ballet blog highlighting our dancers, Melissa has been able to create an online presence that’s fun and interactive. Since ballet is a visual medium, we post a ton of rehearsal clips, because the “behind the scenes” of ballet helps to introduce new ballet fans to the fact that ballet dancers aren’t mythical creatures- we’re flawed humans who work hard, have fun, and are trying to bring more beauty into the world.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

First, create am environment that consistently reminds your team that feedback is wanted… and WELCOMED. Say it to them often. Give your team members ways to bring up problems both face to face or anonymously. Always thank them for their input, even if they’re pointing out things that might sting as a manager.

Second, organizing is a key component to maintaining high morale. Disorganization leads to frustration, so as a manager/director you need to put in the work and create the systems that keep things organized.

Third, have fun! Encourage lunchbreaks together with phones down, or start the morning with a fun “question of the day”. Ballet Embody frequently does these things, and encourages our dancers to be as friendly with each other as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.balletembody.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_balletembody_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balletembody

Image Credits
Ken – PBK Digital , Francisco Jauregui