Renowned ballerina Melanie Hamrick has seen it all in the ballet world and lived to tell about it, well, a variation of it. After years with the American Ballet Theatre and an injury that forced her to take six months off to recover, she decided to draw upon her intimate experience in the turbulent ballet world to create gripping tales that will leave you on the edge of your seat with every page turn. Her latest book, the sequel to her highly acclaimed debut First Position , is The Unraveling . It's a racy and gripping exploration of London's professional ballet world filled with addictive relationships, restless drama, sexual tension, and utter chaos happening behind the scenes. The mom of son Deveraux, she shares with partner Mick Jagger, who encouraged her, along with her mom, to start writing, sat down with LifeMinute editor-in-chief Joann Butler at our LifeMinute Studios recently to tell us all about it and more. This is a LifeMinute with author and ballerina Melanie Hamrick.
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00:00Hi, I'm Melanie Hamrick and you're watching Life Minute TV.
00:04Renowned ballerina Melanie Hamrick has seen it all in the ballet world and lived to tell
00:08about it.
00:09Well, a variation of it.
00:11After years with the American Ballet Theater and an injury that forced her to take six
00:15months off to recover, she decided to draw upon her intimate experience in the turbulent
00:20ballet world to create gripping tales that will leave you on the edge of your seat with
00:25every page turn.
00:27Her latest, the sequel to her highly acclaimed debut First Position, is called The Unraveling.
00:33The mom and partner to Mick Jagger, who encouraged her to start writing, stopped by the Life
00:37Minute studios recently to tell us all about it and more.
00:41This is a Life Minute with author and ballerina Melanie Hamrick.
00:45Your second book, The Unraveling, tell us all about it.
00:49Jocelyn was such an interesting character from First Position that I decided to explore
00:54her because she was kind of a surprise to me as she developed.
00:58And in First Position, I knew who Sylvie was from the beginning, what I wanted, and Jocelyn
01:02kind of developed as I was writing the book.
01:05And so all the feedback about Jocelyn when I finished, I was like, I think I need to
01:09explore her.
01:10Like, who's Jocelyn?
01:12And I wanted to also share some parts of the ballet world that people don't know.
01:16It's kind of a coming of age, but not a coming of age because she is a professional.
01:20She has her career.
01:22She's quite successful.
01:23But it's also she's still a young woman, and she's still figuring herself out, and she's
01:27still going through the challenges of life.
01:29This book, I would say, focuses on a side of the ballet a lot of people don't know about
01:33that dancers have donors and sponsors.
01:37So in America, you don't have a lot of government funding for ballet companies, and you rely
01:41on private donations to keep companies afloat.
01:44And lots of times, those donations will be in honor of a ballet dancer.
01:48And then in return, they maybe get tickets, they get a meet and greet with the ballet
01:52dancer.
01:53And it's quite interesting because some people take advantage of that, meeting a dancer.
01:58And for the most part, it's always very safe and secure.
02:02And it's a set time.
02:03And we're going to take a picture.
02:04Okay, you're finished.
02:05But I thought it would be fun to explore if things go wrong.
02:09So why did you call it The Unraveling?
02:12Her life is spiraling, you know, and I think a beautiful word for spiraling is unraveling.
02:20And I think of a ballet ribbon.
02:22It's like if you tie the ballet ribbon in like one pull, a little more pulls, a little
02:26more loosens, and then it just unravels.
02:29And it's like sometimes in life, one thing happens, you're like, I'm okay.
02:32And then another thing, and you're like, I'm still okay.
02:35And then another thing, and then everything just it's like floodgates, you know, I did
02:39have the option of, I wanted second position, kind of, but then I realized, I don't want
02:45people to feel they have to read first position.
02:48And I also want to try to connect with people who don't know about ballet.
02:51These are things that happen, I think could happen to anybody, anywhere, any environment.
02:56So I try to do that.
02:57And ballet is just so romantic.
02:58I was surprised there aren't romance novels set in the ballet yet.
03:03So I plan to write more and do more and hopefully create a niche romance outlet.
03:09How real life is it?
03:11It's definitely inspired by and 100% fiction.
03:15So I do have some friends sometimes from the ballet world asking me, who are you writing
03:19about?
03:20And I'm like, no one.
03:21It's taking something that may be very like a gentle happen, and then me developing it
03:28and fictionalizing it, just having so much fun with the drama of something that might
03:34be so small and minor, and then just building on it.
03:39Everyone always thinks of ballet like, oh, you know, it's pretty and happy and everything's
03:43good.
03:44But, you know, it's a little more Black Swan than, you know, people realize, right?
03:48I think there are elements that are, I mean, I looked at Black Swan as motivation because
03:54it was able to cross to mainstream media, which I think is amazing for ballet to be
03:58able to do.
03:59But I tell people, you have like five personalities or character traits put in one person.
04:06And that's what made the film so great.
04:08I write more dark.
04:11I would say it's a bit of both.
04:12Like any work environment, you're going to have ups and downs and bad days and good days.
04:18And I think that ballet is interesting because it's such a young field.
04:22And ballet dancers have been really protected in a protected environment until they're young
04:27adults.
04:28And so they're kind of going through their wild phase in their 20s with a full-time job.
04:34So that's kind of like, I like to explore that and show that, yeah.
04:38Did you always know you wanted to be a dancer?
04:40Since I was seven.
04:41My sister is a ballerina.
04:43So I started ballet classes when I was five or six, and I think at seven I was like, I'm
04:47going to become a ballerina.
04:49And I could see, because of my sister, she's five years older, I could see where the lessons
04:53were going, not just like, OK, the first year on point is very boring and tedious.
04:59But I was like, I know what's going to come if I just keep it up.
05:02So I got to see her as my role model and look forward to the things to come.
05:07And what about writing?
05:08Was that something new or did you always know you could do that as well?
05:11It's a bit of both.
05:12I think I love reading and writing.
05:14I always had books backstage.
05:16I always read on the train.
05:18I took a writing course here and there.
05:20And then when COVID happened and theaters were shut down, it kind of was like the gift.
05:24But again, I was like, I don't know if I can do this.
05:27I needed a lot of hand-holding writing first position.
05:31And then with The Unraveling, I felt way more confident.
05:34I'm still not sure yet when I go back and read it.
05:37I want to rewrite a lot.
05:38But everyone, like every author I've met is like, oh no, that never goes away.
05:43You always want to rewrite.
05:44That's what I was going to say.
05:45The second one, do you feel as good, as powerful, as juicy as the first one?
05:49Definitely.
05:50And I feel that I can tell in my writing, I'm more confident.
06:01Tell us about your career a little bit.
06:02You went through a lot of challenges being pregnant while you were dancing.
06:07What was that like?
06:08That was so difficult.
06:09I won't sugarcoat it.
06:10It was extremely hard.
06:11I felt the pressure to get back really fast because there just weren't a lot of women
06:18at the time in the company that had children.
06:21And it's such a young environment that there's always someone ready to replace you.
06:27And I kind of wanted to prove to everybody, you can come back stronger and better.
06:32You don't need to replace me with someone younger.
06:35I can still be great.
06:37I can still do this.
06:38So I really pushed myself.
06:39And I look back and I'm like, why did I do that in three months?
06:42I should have taken six months and enjoyed it more.
06:46But you always look back and wish you could have done things differently.
06:49But it was hard because I'm used to moving and dancing and I didn't want anyone to know
06:53I was pregnant.
06:54Your first trimester, you're not feeling well.
06:56And then I wasn't telling anyone and I was going on stage eight shows a week.
07:00The whole experience, I look back and it was amazing.
07:04But I'm also like, I really put myself through an unnecessary amount with what I did.
07:09And then 2019, you had an injury.
07:12Tell us about that.
07:13I've been really blessed.
07:14I didn't have a lot of injuries.
07:17And I found that once I became a mother, I didn't look after myself as much.
07:21I had someone else that was more important than me in my life.
07:26I would be rushing home on my breaks to see my baby or, you know, if I had the show, I
07:31would get there with enough time to warm up, but probably not proper time to warm up.
07:35I didn't have time anymore or give myself time to go to physical therapy, which is what
07:40we do for maintenance.
07:42And I think it's just the wear and tear really started to catch up with me.
07:46And after you have a child, your body is not the same.
07:50Your bones are weaker, they say.
07:52And I didn't think about any of that.
07:53I just thought I was trying to be Superwoman.
07:55And I definitely started to have injuries, which I had never had before.
07:59I had been so blessed my whole time dancing.
08:02It's difficult to deal with, but again, a blessing.
08:05When I was injured, I just got to be with my baby and I wouldn't have taken that time
08:08if I hadn't been injured.
08:10And now, you know, producing as well, and you have Rock Ballet coming up.
08:14Tell us about that.
08:16When I was starting to get injured, yeah, around 2019, I could feel like injuries.
08:21My body just wasn't the same.
08:23I was like, I need to plan, like, what am I going to do?
08:26I want to be creative.
08:27I want to still be in the industry.
08:29And I was like, I want to try choreographing.
08:32Why not?
08:33And I got a great opportunity choreographing at the Marinsky.
08:46And then that ballet went to Lincoln Center with Youth America Grand Prix.
08:49And it was so much fun because to see dancers get to do something besides classical music.
08:55The Rolling Stones are such icons.
08:57The music is so iconic that, oh, it was so fun to be in the studio.
09:01It was great, but I found that writing was more my passion than choreographing.
09:06It's just different.
09:07I feel more confident choreographing words than bodies.
09:11I don't know, maybe it's too close to home as being a dancer to then choreograph on dancers.
09:16I'll do it occasionally, and I'm still excited to maybe experience it and try it.
09:21But I think my real passion is writing now.
09:24And I still, like, do it at galas.
09:26Some of the dancers still use the piece, and I love that it's still there.
09:29There's potential that it's there.
09:31And sometimes you need to let things simmer.
09:33With this, there is still potential for the ballet to grow.
09:36So Mick, for those that don't know, she's Mick Jagger's partner.
09:40What is he really like?
09:42Oh, I mean, funny.
09:45I think what you see is him.
09:47Very smart, very funny, dedicated to his craft, dedicated to being the best performer he can be.
09:54It's really, it's a motivation to me to see what he puts in every day to be still a great
10:00performer, and it's completely inspiring.
10:04And I think that's why with the ballet, he really, he was such a support for me to write
10:08my books.
10:09Like, you can do it.
10:10Yeah, you've got this.
10:11Just an all-around positive.
10:14He's a phenomenal dad.
10:15I can't say it enough.
10:17My son's so lucky that he's, I'm like, what's Dev gonna do as a performer?
10:23You know, all these things, mover, dancer, and I can't say it enough, an incredible dad.
10:29Do you ever teach him any dance moves?
10:31No.
10:32I feel like he needs to teach me dance moves.
10:35Everyone assumes, because you're a ballet dancer, when you go out and people are like,
10:38do you want to go out dancing?
10:39I'm like, that's terrifying to go out dancing.
10:42I have, he gave me 30 years to learn my, like, steps, free dances, terrifying.
10:48So I actually look to him if we're at a party or something, and I'm like, what am I supposed
10:52to do?
10:53You know?
10:54People that I interview a lot, they do always talk about him, that he's so inspirational,
10:58the way he moves and the performance that he puts on.
11:01It's natural.
11:02Yeah.
11:03It's instinct.
11:04He's such an expert mover.
11:06What does it take to be a ballet dancer?
11:08I think you need a good support system.
11:11That's what I always tell every mom or dad who has children dancing, anyone, I say you
11:16need to be a good support system for them.
11:18It is hard.
11:19You don't go to the prom.
11:20You don't have the same college experience, and you're in a very competitive environment
11:25from a young age, like an athlete that would go to the Olympics, and there's very few jobs.
11:31And I think just to know that as a dancer or as a parent, you are there for them and
11:37that the dancer knows there's, someone's got your back outside of the world.
11:41But it takes a lot of hard work.
11:42It's not only talent.
11:44You have to work so hard.
11:46When I had a teacher correct me, like, they said, you know, practice makes perfect.
11:51And the teacher said to me, absolutely not.
11:53Perfect practice makes perfect.
11:55You can practice sloppy all day.
11:58It's not going to improve.
11:59Practice correctly.
12:00And I was like, and that's the mentality of ballet.
12:04Perfect practice makes perfect.
12:06Not practice.
12:07It's kind of, you get a little idea of what the world is like.
12:10Yeah.
12:11If the turn's not working, it's not working because you're not practicing correctly.
12:15You have to figure out what's wrong and practice correctly to get it right.
12:18And you mentioned, like, how physicality is different now being a mom.
12:22How do you stay fit now?
12:23Oh, I do so many things now.
12:26It's so fun.
12:27If I get, my body gets bored, I'm like, I'm going to try Pilates today, or I'm going to
12:30do cross training, or I'm going to take yoga.
12:31I explore everything and then occasionally I'm like, okay, I need a ballet bar because
12:35that's really what's going to do it.
12:37But I try to, I just do everything.
12:39I love going for long walks, the gym, really a bit of everything.
12:44You mentioned your skin.
12:45I mentioned it before.
12:46It's beautiful.
12:47What are your skin care routines?
12:48I actually have really sensitive skin.
12:50So my dermatologist, she can always tell, her name's Dr. Libby Rhee.
12:54I'll give her a shout out.
12:55Because I travel so much that, you know, the airplane affects you, your different countries,
13:00different time zones.
13:02We created like a routine because it's so specific to each person.
13:06And in the fall and winter, I'll change up my skin care routine.
13:10And then for summer, spring, I change it again because you need more hydration and different
13:14seasons.
13:15But one of my tricks is a lot of Aquaphor when I get on the airplane.
13:19I just do no makeup and just put the Aquaphor on and it keeps your skin really hydrated.
13:26What about your de-stress methods?
13:28Any tips for that?
13:29Reading.
13:30Because when I'm writing, I don't read much.
13:33And so when I'm not writing, I miss reading because I don't want to be influenced by other
13:40authors or feel, wow, this book's so much better than what I'm writing.
13:44And then it's already hard enough to feel confident with your words that are going out.
13:49I don't like to be influenced by what I'm reading or not feel good enough because their
13:55book's better or something.
13:57So I definitely, when I'm done with a big chunk and I'm taking a little break, like
14:02a week off just for, I'll pick up a book and read or sit in the sunshine, be with my son.
14:10Any tips for juggling, you know, motherhood, career?
14:13For me, it's like, take a deep breath, get some fresh air and just do one thing at a
14:20time.
14:21Tackle one thing at a time.
14:23That's it.
14:24For me, it's like, okay, it's coffee time.
14:26Breakfast with my son.
14:27It's like just one thing at a time.
14:30What's next for you?
14:31I'm going to write another book.
14:32I'm just figuring out, I think, do I want to stay in the heavy romance or do I want
14:36it to be more women's fiction?
14:38I'm playing with the ideas right now, but I'm going to keep writing.
14:43Are there some people in mind when you're writing, like people from your past?
14:46Oh, there's stories in mind.
14:48Like, oh, I remember I heard that this thing happened to this girl.
14:54I can't use the story, but I can twist the story.
14:57You know, so definitely inspired by my years at the ballet and my sister's years at the
15:02ballet and my friend's years and hearing stories.
15:05And sometimes when I need motivation, I'll get on the phone with a friend and be like,
15:08well, what's happening at the ballet right now?
15:11That's an inspiration.
15:12Or I'll watch some ballet, like I'll watch a lot of ballet to like, and then that kind
15:16of starts.
15:17I'm remembering the pain or I'm remembering, oh, when I danced this role, the backstage,
15:23what's happening backstage.
15:24And it just kind of motivates me and gets my creative juices flowing.
15:30What's your biggest life tip?
15:31Maybe just one thing at a time.
15:34You know, because life is overwhelming and the world is overwhelming.
15:39And I think if you just put one foot in front of the other and one thing at a time and do
15:44the best you can.
15:46Just do your best.
15:47I love it.
15:48Awesome.
15:49Thanks.
15:51Thank you for having me.
15:52To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast, Life Minute TV on iTunes and all
15:56streaming podcast platforms.