Spotlight on William
William Steers
I met William as he faced the biggest physical challenge in his dance career, and his quiet determination helped him not only to recover, but to complete post-graduate training and begin his dance career overseas (during a pandemic, no less). I hope you enjoy my conversation with William.
Photo credit: Bob House Photography
H: Tell me your dance story.
W: I started dancing when I was 10 years old. I started out in hip hop, then Irish dance, then musical theatre, and when I was 13 I started learning ballet. Each of these dance forms was introduced or recommended to me by my mother. I was always a little apprehensive about starting each one, but she assured me I would enjoy them, and she wasn't wrong. I have always enjoyed moving to music and performing, even before taking lessons, just moving and singing along to music in my house. It felt very comfortable for me, even though I was quite a shy kid. Dancing was a form of self expression and just a great way for me to enjoy myself.
In 2013 I auditioned for Ballet Jörgen's The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition and was cast as the Nutcracker Prince. This was my second time working with Ballet Jörgen (I was a local participant in their production of Swan Lake at the beginning of 2013) but this was my first experience to work with a professional company quite personally for many months and tour across Ontario for multiple performances. The excitement of working with the company, performing in different theatres, and being a part of such a great production, it inspired me to pursue dance more seriously. I started auditioning for professional ballet schools after doing The Nutcracker and was accepted into The Quinte Ballet School of Canada into their professional training program. I attended the school for my remaining two years of high school from 2014-2016. Following my graduation, I attended the Alberta Ballet School in their professional graduate program from 2016-2018. At the start of 2019, I began to audition for professional ballet companies around the world. I first spent two weeks in the United States, followed by two months in Europe, traveling around to different countries for different company auditions. I was very fortunate to receive two contracts; one for two and a half months with The Pasodos Dance Company in Mallorca, Spain, for a new production they were premiering, and a full time contract with the Europaballett in St.Pölten, Austria. I worked with the company in Spain from March until May. I joined the EuropaBallett ensemble in May of 2019 and have been working with them ever since.
H: Who supported you along the way?
W: My biggest supporters were my family and teachers. They encouraged me to try new things, push myself out of my comfort zone, and always believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. Each one of my teachers gave me great coaching in dance, but also taught me valuable lessons on how to work as a professional. It requires a lot of discipline to be a professional dancer, and I have definitely learned this from the teachers I've met and studied with along my dance journey. I cannot thank them enough for getting me to where I am today.
H: What physical challenges have you faced? How did you overcome them?
W: The biggest challenge I ever faced was when I injured my patella tendon (under the knee cap). I was over time not taking care of my landings and technique of jumping, and one day when doing a very big jump, I got two partial tears in my patella tendon. For many months I worked with my physiotherapist and doctors to try and make it better, until it was decided that I would have to get a procedure done on it. I had a small procedure done on my knee, called Platelet Rich Plasma Injection. After that, I was out of dance for almost two months. This was a very difficult time for me. I was in a lot of pain for a number of weeks, and was quite restricted in my range of movement. I was very fortunate to find and begin working with Heather Finn at Speed River Physiotherapy during my recovery. She helped me a lot not only in rehabilitating my body, but also giving me more knowledge of how to work properly WHILE I'm dancing. She also helped me stay connected to the dance world and find other ways to enjoy dancing/art without actually being able to participate in it. It can be easy to just distance yourself from dance or art when you're unable to do it because of an injury. Keeping this connection reminds you what you're working towards while you're in recovery and keeps you inspired for when you can finally return back to normal.
H: Describe an exercise that helps you, and how it helps.
W: I've learned many different exercises over the years to help me with injury recovery, or just general body maintenance to prevent injury. One of my favourite exercises is lying on my back and doing a bridge, while squeezing either a foam block or resistance ring in between my legs. This is a great one to do before ballet class or right before a rehearsal. This activates the hamstrings and adductors, which are extremely important muscles to use while dancing. They are naturally the weakest muscles, as we tend to use our thighs for everyday activity. This exercise is quite basic and works in a parallel position, so it allows me to find proper alignment in my body while strengthening the muscles. Doing this exercise either as a warm up or as part of a workout routine is really helpful for me, for later on when I'm dancing and have a million other things to think about. The muscles are properly worked individually and then can be used later while I'm working the whole body.
H: The bridge is one of my favourites, too! So many variations: Rolling or hinging up and down, two legs or single leg, parallel or turnout, using props… I help choose what version targets the right area for each person. What advice would you give to other dancers about their physical well being?
W: I would say there are two important things to consider when taking care of yourself physically. First, it is important not to dismiss the slow and precise work. Taking time to work slowly and methodically in you dance training will help you become a stronger and smarter dancer. If you are just doing the movements without any awareness of your body and which muscles to use, then over time you can put yourself at risk of injury. I find personally doing Pilates work outside of class time, and doing a slower class helps me center and focus myself. I can listen to my body and work it so later on when I need to work faster, I've already established a solid base for my technique and don't have to worry about what my body needs to do in order to do it properly and to the best of my ability.
Secondly, make sure you listen to your body and don't ignore [it] when you're in pain or something feels weird. There is a big difference between pain that is good and beneficial, and pain that is damaging. Good pain would be when your muscles are getting targeted work and being developed. Whereas bad pain is when muscles, joints or bones are sending you signals saying something is wrong and you should stop whatever it is you are doing. Typically this is a sharp or aching pain in your body. Learning the difference between the two and responding properly to those signals will help you have a much more fulfilling dance experience.
H: Great explanation! I sometimes call it “hurt versus harm” to distinguish the difference between normal stress on the tissue (triggered by introducing a new movement or change in your training) and a harmful stress on the tissue (triggered by a repetitive stress, injury, or lack of recovery time). What are the next steps in your dance career?
W: I am interested in exploring other companies and different repertoire. I want to tour around and meet new dancers and choreographers to see where I would like to work next. There are so many companies producing such bold and innovative works. I am very eager to develop myself artistically and be a part of a company that is pushing the boundaries of dance and creativity.
We can’t wait to see what you do next. Thanks for joining me in the Spotlight, William.
