Calling All Bunheads: This Wellness Brand Is Just for You

As stages and studios slowly begin to reopen, keeping up in the dance world’s “new normal” has required professionals to quickly bring their stamina back up to par, while also managing the physical strain and emotional toll that comes with returning to once-familiar routines.

Prima by StageRitual aims to help ballerinas with this transition. Prima is the first skin-care and wellness brand entirely dedicated to ballerinas, and it’s on a mission to enhance every ballerina’s journey by assisting them in their daily struggles with training-related pain. 

Recently, the brand launched its first line of self-care products: The Cooling Collection, which aims to reduce training-related muscle pain and reinvigorate the senses. The trio—an essential-oil blend, a shower gel and a massage lotion—makes up the ultimate luxurious post–dance-day routine, especially as the return to studios and stages increases the demands on dancers’ bodies. With a soothing chamomile scent, each item helps target sore and achy muscles. Plus, all products from Prima are vegan and cruelty-free.

Prima unveiled its new Cooling Collection in style during the brand’s inaugural live virtual event, “Welcome Prima: The Launch of the First Skincare and Wellness Brand for Ballerinas.” The event was led by a panel of 11 ballerinas from across the world: Skylar Brandt, Maria Khoreva, Evgenia Obraztsova, Iana Salenko, Misa Kuranaga, Anna Ol, Denise Parungao, Nicoletta Manni, Nikisha Fogo, Laurretta Summerscale, and Jemima Reyes.

The discussion that ensued exemplified founder Vieve Rohrer’s dedication to Prima being part of a dancer’s whole journey and creating valuable space for dancers to be vulnerable about the difficulties of the past year. 

The panelists shared various ways that they’re approaching the ballet world’s reopening, which, for many, includes a lot of self-care. Nikisha Fogo, dancer with San Francisco Ballet, said she needed to “take things slow and not get too ahead of myself” while getting back into shape, and noted that “My muscles tend to really seize up when I’m dancing, so I constantly have to self-massage and take baths, which is also great to relax my mind.” 

Taking care of mental wellness just as much as physical health was important to the ballerinas, and they spent the majority of the conversation discussing the mental stressors of the pandemic. The dancers unanimously agreed that the time away from performing and dancing together resulted in intense feelings of loneliness. Fogo said, “It’s been tough to not have that connection, not just with the audience, but with other dancers, people that share the same passion as you.” 

For Anna Ol, dancer at Dutch Opera Ballet, the lockdown helped her realize that performing for audiences was an enormous part of what drew her to her career. She shared, “If there are no people who give you energy back while you’re dancing, it can feel like your sense of meaning behind it is lost.” Many dancers agreed that they struggled to keep a positive mindset dancing alone.

Throughout all of the losses of the pandemic, rare moments of togetherness shined all the more brightly. Misa Kuranaga of San Francisco Ballet was grateful for moments in the studio with her pod of dancers, where they were able to make fun videos and cheer each other on as they got back to dancing. She said, “It helps mentally, feeling like you’re in this together, and helping each other get back to normal.” 

Overall, the dancers affirmed the value of community to their craft, which is central to Prima’s founding mission. After such honest conversation with the ballerinas, Prima was excited to unveil Prima Club, a subscription program that connects dancers all over the world. Members of Prima Club receive access to exclusive virtual events and master classes, and are also sent newly released Prima products that soothe the body and mind.
To learn more and become a Prima Club subscriber, visit Prima’s website, or check out its Instagram page.