DANCER HIGHLIGHT: Schuyler Lian

Photo: Schuyler Lian in The Nutcracker | By Beau Pearson 

Schuyler Lian, from Wayne, Pennsylvania joined Ballet West II in 2022 and has been promoted to the main Company for the 2024-25 season. Lian began dancing when she was three years old and knew she wanted to become a professional ballet dancer when she attended her first summer intensive program at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet at 12 years old.

“That experience was truly life-changing for me and opened my eyes to the larger ballet world,” said Lian. “I knew in my heart that going forward I wanted to give it everything I had and work as hard as possible to achieve my newfound goal. I’m the kind of person that has to do things with full commitment. I want to go all the way and see where it takes me. Ever since then I’ve continued to fall in love with ballet more and more each day.”

She says coming to Ballet West has taught her to embrace new experiences because of the wide variety of repertoire. “I’ve been learning to just dive in and not be afraid to feel out of my comfort zone,” Lian said. “Every opportunity to be working with stagers or choreographers in all kinds of different styles is a really enriching experience. I try to take the things that I’ve learned from each ballet into the next.”

Now as a Corp Artist, Lian says, “I am beyond grateful to be joining Ballet West. It is a dream come true. Everybody here is so passionate about the art form and it feels really exciting to be part of that.”

Follow Schuyler on Instagram @schuylerlian.