The inaugural year of the PointePeople Mentorship program concluded in August and we are interviewing each of our Mentor/Mentee duos this Fall. Up first, we have the beautiful Elizabeth Lamont of Royal Winnipeg Ballet who mentored the new Houston Ballet Academy student, Brooke Noska. Get to know them better below!
Mentor: Elizabeth Lamont, Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Rejean Brandt
Mentee: Brooke Noska, Houston Ballet Academy
Dale Dong
How did you communicate with each other?
Elizabeth: Brooke and I were able to connect on FaceTime.
Brooke: My mentor and I talked through FaceTime each month!
What were some aspects you were able to learn from one another?
Elizabeth: I learned so much! I feel like I learned as much as Brooke did! She told me lots about her competitions and showed how disciplined and hardworking she is with homeschooling, as well. I also learned that drive and purpose will take you far; she set her sights on Houston Ballet and this year was accepted into the professional school. I couldn’t be happier for her!
Brooke: I learned how to take care of my body during busy seasons, what it’s like being a professional, and how to mentally prepare before performances!
What topics were you able to share and discuss together?
Elizabeth: We talked pretty freely about our past experiences onstage and we focused mostly on dealing with performance nerves and visualization techniques.
Brooke: I was able to share some of my successes from this season and discuss some of my goals for this year.
Bruce Monk
As a mentor, how did this program help you connect with a younger generation of dancers?
Elizabeth: It was a wonderful way for me to reflect on my growth as a dancer and remember all the things I wish I knew when I was younger. I felt that by sharing and discussing things with Brooke it helped me feel more open about the inner workings of our day to day lives. When you’re constantly living the day to day as a professional dancer, it’s hard to remember how unique that is. Having this as a common passion amongst somebody so young is really special to share!
David Cooper
As a mentee, how did the mentorship program enhance your life as a dancer? Best piece of advice or inspiration you received from your mentor?
Brooke: It definitely enhanced my education by learning new tricks and inspiring me to become a successful ballet dancer. The best piece of advice I learned was to take time and mentally imagine a piece going perfectly in your head before you perform.
As participants in the PointePeople mentorship program, the dancers were also able to test various colors and shades of Pointe Paint.
What features did you like about Pointe Paint?
Elizabeth: Ease of use- it’s cleaner, quicker and easier to match your skin tone with the appropriate shade!
Brooke: I love the applicator! It is the perfect option for a mess free application. I also like how the color comes out very evenly onto the shoe.
Did you use Pointe Paint for a specific role or just experiment with it?
Elizabeth: I will be using it for the upcoming shows in Mexico!
Brooke: I used Pointe Paint to dye my pointe shoes to match my skin color for my Walpurgisnacht variation! It worked perfectly and blended beautifully together on stage.
VAM Productions
Favorite shade or color of Pointe Paint? Which color would you love to try next?
Elizabeth: I haven’t had a chance to try them all yet, but soon!
Brooke: My favorite color I tried was the Rajani (Black)! It looked so different and unique in photo shoots!
