Photo Credit: Cheryl Mann

After 9 successful years with The Joffrey Ballet, Dara Holmes continues to make her hometowns of New Jersey and North Carolina proud. The 2015 3Arts Award nominee has danced in a host of well-known Joffrey productions including: Incantations, Son of Chamber Symphony, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, Forgotten Land, Tulle, and The Nutcracker. BTSCelebs decided to catch up with the lovely local star to see how she is spending this downtime.

Check out our interview below!

BTSCelebs: Who is Dara Holmes?

Dara Holmes: A 28-year-old artist with the Joffrey Ballet.

What piqued your interest in performing arts?

I knew I wanted to be a dancer at age three when I learned of ballet from a B encyclopedia; I haven’t stopped since then.

Tell us all about your most unforgettable performance at the Joffrey so far.

There are so many, but to keep it positive, my most unforgettable performance and one that I’ll forever be grateful to God for was being able to still perform in Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream after getting injured two months before the show hit the stage. An attitude of gratitude always makes performing worthwhile, though it’s not always easy.

Tell us all about your daily routine over the past few months.

It’s been class and Pilates in my “studio” apartment and Bible study on alternating days of the week. As it gets warmer, I’ve been stepping out more, sometimes walking up to five miles in a day and sometimes to just find an area nearby to read, non-fiction mainly. I’ve also been watching so much YouTube; that’s TV for me. Christian and biblical topics, politics, and…hair!

What motivates you to stay active during quarantine?

Our online ballet classes have been a big help; I have to be honest though, with the future being uncertain right now, it’s hard to stay motivated. But class keeps my mind on my personal technical goals.

What is your go-to playlist?

It’s always either my Christian playlist on my iTunes or my beats playlist on my SoundCloud.

What advice do you have for Joffrey fans who are bored during this theatre downtime?

Stay tuned!

Dara Holmes and Edson Barbosa_Photo by Cheryl Mann

A Special Thanks to Dara Holmes and The Silverman Group for the exclusive interview and images.