ABT (Former) Principal Julie Kent on What’s Important
July 21, 2015

No words- just love and gratitude….#trulyjulie #trulygrateful #love

A video posted by Julie Kent (@juliekentofficial) on

If you’re like me, Julie Kent’s retirement from her three-decade-long career at American Ballet Theatre in June was—as “Parks and Recreation” character Chris Traeger loves to say—literally the end of an era. Kent is basically the textbook definition of a ballerina: willowy, with dainty limbs, expressive eyes that gleam with gentleness and gracefulness just seeping out of her effortless port de bras (OK, OK, so I’m getting carried away).

And while I can console myself these days with her fantastic Instagram account (@juliekentofficial) and, of course, Center Stage, I recently stumbled on this story Vanity Fair did with her last month. In it, Kent offers up four life lessons:

  1. Beauty can save the world.
  2. Success comes from many talents in one direction.
  3. Focus on the pursuit, not where it’s going to get you.
  4. Don’t forget the basics.

What a lady! Not a bad idea to share these with your students.

From Julie Kent’s Instagram account