Meet Emily Speed | Professional Ballet Dancer & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Speed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking played a huge role in my career not only offstage but onstage as well. I think of myself as a high achiever, some people might call that perfectionism, regardless, it’s the personality trait that you have to overcome to be willing to put yourself in a risk taking position. In order to be truly involved and present as an artist you must constantly put yourself in that vulnerable position. Onstage, no matter how much you prepare, it’s a live performance and things don’t always go perfectly. There are so many factors that are completely out of your control such as the speed the orchestra is playing that day, how slippery or sticky the floor feels and even dancing with the same dance partner can feel completely different from day to day. Each performance is in itself a risk, one that is definitely worth taking. I believe that this mindset as a performer directly translated into my ability to take risks beyond the stage and these risks played a starring role in my strategy as an entrepreneur both in ballet and in business. If you don’t get out of your comfort zone you cannot grow and growth throughout the journey is the real the goal. Risk taking is directly associated with failure and learning from those failures is the only pathway to true success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well first of all ballet is such a physical feat, ballet dancers are genuinely high level professional athletes. We just have to make it look easy! I originally fell in love with the movement of ballet but now my favorite part of the art form is ballet’s story telling capability. There’s so much you can say with body language alone and I love getting to share a story especially when it makes people feel something. I try to link each movement in a piece to a feeling as I build my character whether or not there is a distinct storyline in that particular piece. Taking the focus off the technical elements helped me grow into the artist I am today.

Has it been easy?
Not in any way! When I first tried to pursue a professional dance career a teacher told my parents it might be more beneficial to put their money elsewhere but after seeing me onstage for the first time she had a change of heart. I have always been a bit of an underdog when it came to natural ability and potential for ballet. The biggest lesson I learned from not being the first pick is that having the heart for something is often much more important than the talent. I have withstood and overcame time and again. I guess when you have to overcome obstacles constantly you get better at navigating them and that in itself becomes a valuable skillset. In the end that makes me a more capable artist. I’ve lived a life; fought and struggled, loved and laughed. If you haven’t done those things it makes the story telling aspect extremely challenging.

The biggest lesson I have learned is that chasing the end result is never a good idea. While I am a big fan of setting goals, becoming too attached to the outcome is not a win/win situation. Whether its in my Real Estate Note business, as a coach to my students or as a dancer I’ve found that these three things are most important:
1. Making longterm goals but not getting married to them, they are more of an outline or roadmap for where I would like to go. You might achieve more or less, fast or slower and that’s okay!
2. Taking feedback. This can be challenging but is crucial to success. You may also need to filter the feedback so that it can be as constructive as possible.
3. Consistency is the most important thing. You have to show up and do the work every. single. day.
If you do this and don’t end up with exactly the result you had set out to achieve usually something good still happens anyways. And if it doesn’t seem like that yet, hold on a little longer, maybe you’re still marinating.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Denver, I’d recommend the Botanical Gardens and I love both the Cherry Creek and Highlands neighborhoods. My longtime go to for breakfast (or really any time of day) is City ‘o’ City in Capitol Hill and my favorite place to grab dinner is Mercantile or anywhere in Union Station. If you’re looking for a wine tasting or a wonderful bottle of wine I’d highly recommend Mondo Vino in West Highlands. If you’re in town for a whole week you must get into the mountains. I’d recommend Red Rocks or Indian Hot Springs if you’re short on time but if you can do a day or more check out Vail or Estes Park. If you have a bit longer and can stay a few nights, drive up to Steamboat Springs and visit the Strawberry Park Hot Springs. My all time favorite town in Colorado I have visited is Ouray but I still haven’t been to them all. Really you can’t go wrong exploring the Rockies!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Throughout my career there are more than just a few people that supported me. I have a really amazing group of friends that are dance fans in the Denver area. They have attended performances and supported me through so many moments. During my time at Colorado Ballet I had some amazing mentors within the company and some of the most celebrated dancers took an interest in helping me along the way. I am so grateful for their friendship and support. As an athlete you have to have a team to keep you healthy or help you get back. In 2019 I suffered an injury and couldn’t have gotten through it without the amazing team I had in Dr. Thomas Clanton (The Steadman Clinic- Vail, CO) and Donna Osbaugh (physical therapist).
My longest and most influential mentors in my ballet career, Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, have mentored and coached me throughout my career, always encouraging me to take the leap of faith.
My absolute biggest support is my family. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family who encouraged me to follow my dreams and keep following them when the going gets tough. My husband, Matthew, has not only encouraged me but taken the leap or the move or the heartbreak or the success with me. My support system goes far and wide but no matter what he is always by my side.

Instagram: @emilyspeedy