THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST'S A TO Z: X for Christine Cox (BalletX) and Eryn Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet)
Christine Cox (BalletX)
Biography
Christine Cox co-founded BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet, with Matthew Neenan in 2005. Under her leadership as artistic and executive director, BalletX has produced over 100 world premiere ballets and toured internationally. In her younger years, she trained in classical ballet at the Pennsylvania Ballet School, became a full-time company member from 1993 until retiring from the stage in 2006, and also served as rehearsal assistant of the children’s corp for 10 years. She has danced with BalletMet (Columbus, OH), as a guest artist with Ballet Hispanico (New York, NY), and with the American Repertory Ballet (Princeton, NJ). Follow her on Instagram at @christineccox.
Headshot by Chris Kendig; action shot courtesy of the artist.
Eryn Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet)
Biography
Eryn Renee Young is the founding artistic director and resident choreographer of XAOC Contemporary Ballet, a New York City-based neoclassical ballet company founded in 2010. She is an inaugural fellow of the Jacob’s Pillow Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellows Program, a 2018 resident choreographer of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Choreographic Institute under the direction of Susan Jaffe with choreographic mentorship from acclaimed choreographer Helen Pickett, and has been commissioned annually since 2012 by Norte Maar for their CounterPointe series. Follow her on Instagram at @eryn.renee.
Headshot and action shot courtesy of the artist.
What made you decide to enter this profession?
Cox (BalletX):
I loved dancing as a kid, and when I was 10 years old I decided to audition for the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. I got in and later that year I performed in the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Nutcracker and completely fell in love. I was hooked and decided to make a career of it.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
The very first week that I moved to New York at age 17, I saw Balanchine’s Agon and Graham’s Clytemnestra for the first time and was so moved by the voices of those silent bodies that from that moment on, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and why?
Cox (BalletX):
My mom and dad have had the biggest influence on my life. They have supported me through thick and thin and never made me feel bad about anything. They just love me unconditionally. They have both passed away, but I carry them in my heart each and every day.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I don’t know that any one person is my single biggest influence. I believe that we are an amalgamation of all of our lived experiences and that we are influenced in ways large and small and for better or worse by all the people we meet.
I can always rely on __________ to cheer up.
Cox (BalletX):
My family.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
My roommates. Some might say it’s odd for four women in their 30s to live together, but we have built an incredible micro-community of support and inspiration. We’re all from different backgrounds working and pursuing our dreams in very different fields, but it’s nice to come home to people who care, who relate to the struggles, and can give advice, knowledge, and perspective from outside the dance bubble.
I practice self-care by __________.
Cox (BalletX):
Taking long hikes with my beagle, Oscar!
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
Baths with the whole set-up: Fancy bath bombs, wine, scented candle, Kindle, music.
Pets or plants. Either way, why and what kind?
Cox (BalletX):
Pets AND plants, but pets first — especially Oscar!
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
First reaction: Pets! I love them! Except I don’t have one of my own. I do have one plant: a 17-year-old Juniper bonsai named Chiisai.
Cooking or eating out? Either way, what is your favorite meal?
Cox (BalletX):
Eating out for sure. I love Greek food.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
Eating out. I’m vegetarian, so I love Indian food, because there are so many veg options and flavors to explore! I couldn’t choose between chana masala, malai kofta, and paneer makhani.
If you could relive the past or catch a glimpse of the future, which would you pick and why?
Cox (BalletX):
It would be amazing to see my boys’ baby faces again and to get to hold them as babies. It's not one moment, but seeing their beautiful little eyes would be amazing.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
Definitely the future. I’m a Type A person who likes to be super prepared and I would love a chance to have an idea of what’s coming so I could prep for it. I’m considering some changes in my life right now and knowing if the future holds another pandemic or a World War or a serious diagnosis or something like that would be good to know before I make some big leaps of faith.
What is your personal approach to handling challenging people or situations?
Cox (BalletX):
It depends on the person. I would generally try to dismantle the intensity and calm the challenging person down.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I think that most people and most situations can be diffused with calm discussion. People have reasons why they are the way they are and why they act the way they do, and if you’re willing to listen and understand where someone is coming from, an understanding can usually be reached.
How has your personal life changed since the pandemic?
Cox (BalletX):
I have learned to let things go quicker and try to move on and enjoy life more!
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I’m trying to be more okay with moving at a slower pace. Pre-pandemic I was in my 20s and always pushing myself to “grind” but now I’m in my 30s and able to find more time to be content at home and take time for myself. The flip side is that it’s harder to gain new opportunities to make art when you aren’t constantly hustling (and when you aren’t accepting less than you’re worth) and I’m not sure I’ve found the happy medium yet.
How has your art or approach towards art changed since the pandemic?
Cox (BalletX):
I am a producer of art and am inspired by art and want to bring as much art into the world as possible.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
A hallmark of my work has always been showcasing the incredible strength, ferocity, and power of women, which often takes the form of athletic, fast-paced technical ballet movement. While I definitely still work in that space, I’ve been deep-diving lately into how two or more women en pointe can work together in a partnering capacity, exploring what weight-sharing, lifts, and supported movement in the ballet vocabulary look like when embodied by two equals, rather than the highly gendered traditional pas de deux.
What is the last show you saw and loved?
Cox (BalletX):
Justin Peck’s Illinoise.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I saw Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go maybe four or five times. It doesn’t have a plot and it doesn’t have a message or theme or anything, but the music and the movement just sweep me up and swirl me away every time I see it. I also loved that for the first time I saw some slightly more diverse body types on that stage.
What is your pre-performance (as a spectator or a performer) ritual?
Cox (BalletX):
Take a long walk in the morning, have a nice early dinner, and a good cup of coffee.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
At this point, I just tell my dancers to have fun out there and I try to take my own advice!
I wish I could be a fly on the wall for this moment in dance history: __________.
Cox (BalletX):
To witness Jiří Kylián create a work.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
The premiere of Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring — the 1913 Paris audiences rioting and walking out of the theater would have been a sight to see.
I have / have had the most fun performing __________’s choreography or trying out this genre of dance _____________.
Cox (BalletX):
Or trying out this type of dance: Hip Hop
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I’m a choreographer myself and haven’t been the one on stage in ages, so I can’t really answer this! In my dreams, I’d love to perform Forsythe choreography.
Is there a book, podcast or TV program you recommend to others and why?
Cox (BalletX):
The Essence of Style by Joan DeJean.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I love fantasy and sci-fi, because it encourages us to dream, look past the everyday, and maybe see the real world in a slightly different way. When you’re inhabiting those worlds, you get to leave this one for a while and go places you could never physically go in real life. Some currents and some favorites: Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon, Star Trek, Interstellar, Foundation.
This city or country is the best place I have ever been to for art: __________.
Cox (BalletX):
Philadelphia, PA!
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
Everywhere has unique and wonderful art and I feel fortunate I have gotten to see so much of it. While some of it has spoken to me personally more than others, I could never choose a “best”!
Which social media app are you most drawn to?
Cox (BalletX):
Instagram.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
Honestly, I like Reddit because there is a wide range of content and a lot of interesting discussion — there’s a community for almost everything under the sun! I would get rid of Facebook and Instagram, because I feel like the algorithms are targeted to make you feel bad and buy things, but I hang on to them because I need them for work and because (unlike Reddit) that’s where I can keep up with people I know in real life.
What advice do you have for young people in your field?
Cox (BalletX):
Arrive early, stay late, and think about your impact and how you can change the world for the better, one small step at a time.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
For the practical advice: the power is unfortunately still in the institutions and names — if you can get a big name on your resume during your training or early career, people will take you much more seriously for the rest of your life. Heads are much more likely to turn at, “Take a look at this talented new choreographer – she trained at “Big School” or danced at “Major Company” et cetera,” than they are at, “Take a look at this talented new choreographer — her work is really something special.”
That said… be nice. A positive presence in the room makes a world of difference. I’ve hired dancers with less refined technical skills when they’ve made an excellent impression in conversation. Also, the dance community is tiny and news travels fast if someone is difficult or unpleasant to work with.
How can we amplify the voices of overlooked and deserving artists?
Cox (BalletX):
Keep creating opportunities for voices to be heard.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I think the biggest change would be a cultural shift — society doesn’t place a high value on dance or artists in general, so there just isn’t enough funding or opportunities for all deserving artists to make work in an adequately supported manner. If there was a way to drive interest in the arts among a broader swath of the population, there’d be more demand and more support.
How do you spread enthusiasm about dance?
Cox (BalletX):
I try to spread love and remind people that art is about love and the act of creating, which is our highest human calling.
Renee Young (XAOC Contemporary Ballet):
I certainly talk about it enough! When you are in this world all the time, you can overlook the uniqueness and magic of what we do, but when you talk to or welcome someone in who is new to this world, what we take for granted is made luminous again.
