Adore April 2021

Mei -Ling Murray Rees UPTOWN

Dancer, Model, Instructor neworleansballettheatre.com

M ei-Ling is a classical ballet dancer and professional model, originally from Northern California. She spent summers training at American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and graduated from the University of Arizona. A career in dance diplomacy brought her to Panama and India, working with U.S. embassies to develop international dance programs through the non-profit organization Movement Exchange. Since moving here in 2016, she has performed with New Orleans Ballet Theatre and is a faculty member at Schramel Conservatory of Dance. She is expecting her first child, a boy, any day now. Welcome to the Big Easy.

FAVORITE thing ABOUT LIVING IN NEW ORLEANS? All of the small, playful interactions that happen with random people you pass by on the street. There is a warmth that Nola residents have that tickles you. There's a levity and joking commentary between you and the grocery store clerk or the busker in the Quarter that puts a smile on your face like no other. It is its own kind of happiness currency. HOW DID THE PANDEMIC INFLUENCE YOUR CREATIVITY? Being in quarantine was a time of slowing down. It helped me be a better friend to my relationships, and it helped me tap into the smaller creative hobbies I had always enjoyed but had never prioritized. I dove into making Hawaiian haku — the traditional woven flower crowns of the islands. I perfected baking sourdough boules and the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. I gardened and played more piano. I had deeper conversations with friends and family who live afar. The whole year was a practice in how to better serve others and how to better utilize the preciousness of time. BIGGEST INSPIRATION IN YOUR WORK? Athletes who have a relentless work ethic. Artists who are driven by curiosity and authentic expression, rather than by imitation or vanity. Humans who constantly strive for connection over competition. FAVORITE PART ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? I've always thought that dance strikes this harmonious balance between athleticism and artistry. And above all, dance has always been a language for me — to connect with others, to get to know other cultures, to exude an emotion, to embody music. Dance checks all those boxes. And being a performing artist is uniquely special in how fleeting it is. To be on stage and give yourself over to the audience just in that moment, only for it never to be exactly that same way again, is an incomparable and exhilarating feeling of presence. FAVORITE QUOTE? "You are the company you keep. So go out there and find the people who make your world larger." Souki Powell

Photos by Ashk a n Roaya e e a nd Ja m e s Shaw

ADORE • APRIL 2021

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