Inside New York City Ballet Principal Mira Nadon’s Dance Bag
After a busy summer spent performing at Vail Dance Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Joyce Theater’s Jerome Robbins Festival, New York City Ballet principal Mira Nadon is back in the rehearsal studios at Lincoln Center to prepare for NYCB’s fall season.
For her dance bag, Nadon carries a light-pink backpack from the brand MZ Wallace, designed in collaboration with NYCB principals Megan Fairchild and Joseph Gordon. “They invited some of us to the launch and gave us this bag.”
The bag is packed with pockets, so Nadon can tuck her smaller items away without them all landing at the bottom. “I feel like if I have a bigger bag that doesn’t have pockets, it’s just a bottomless pit,” she says.
The Goods
Duct tape: Nadon carries a roll of duct tape for a variety of purposes. For instance, she uses a piece to hold Second Skin in place when she has blisters. She also tapes the inner lining of her pointe shoe shank down to keep it from rolling up. “It’s very industrial, and,” she says jokingly, “super-aesthetic.”
Mints: “Everyone in the company knows I have mints, so I definitely have the regulars who are always coming to me for some—like [NYCB principal] Tyler Angle.”
Pointe shoes: Nadon wears Freeds and is between two makers. “I wear ‘Anchors,’ but he’s retiring soon,” she says. She sews flesh-colored elastic ribbon in a loop, because NYCB dancers wear skin-tone tights. She sews about a pair a day and keeps a softer and harder pair in rotation. She also wears Perfect Fit toe pads.
Ballet slippers: Nadon wears Bloch flats provided by NYCB’s shoe department.
Reusable water bottle: “This is just the current water bottle that I haven’t lost,” Nadon says. This one came from the hotel where she stayed while performing at the 2024 opening gala at Jacob’s Pillow.
Gua sha scraping tool: Nadon uses this facial massage tool to release the fascia on her lower legs.
Massage ball: Nadon focuses on her back and calves with this double massage ball. She starts each day by rolling out, and if she has downtime during a rehearsal, she can be found rolling out again in the back of the studio.
Salonpas: Nadon carries Salonpas patches in case of a back spasm. When warming up, she does abdominal stabilization exercises and stretches to open her back.
Zippered pouch: Nadon also keeps some small basics on hand, like Aquaphor, hand cream, hand sanitizer, and tiny scissors.
