Inside Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Dancer Rachelle Scott’s Dance Bag
This story originally appeared in the October/November 2014 issue of
Pointe.
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet’s Rachelle Scott may have a dance-filled life, but that doesn’t mean she has to tote her supplies in a “dance bag.” “I use this really nice leather bag that I got during my second year at Juilliard—there’s nothing dance-y about it,” she says, with a laugh. “It’s a relief to have something beautiful and functional that makes me feel like a human being, as well as a dancer.”
That said, Scott enjoys thinking analytically about her craft. She always carries Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, a book that discusses ways to avoid creative roadblocks. “A good school friend of mine recommended it to me three years ago, right at that moment when I was transitioning from student to professional,” she says. “Its way of talking about the artistic process grounds me and gives me a sense of perspective. I’ve been living by its philosophies ever since.”
Nathan Sayers
The Goods
Thermos, water bottle, massage ball (“It’s actually a lacrosse ball, which gives the perfect pressure in my deep tissue”), The War of Art, leather bag, journal, arnica gel, hand sanitizer, perfume (“so my partners feel like everything’s nice and fresh!”), Tiger Balm, Thera-Band, Yogi teas (“I like to drink green tea, to help cleanse my body—lemon ginger is my favorite”), phone charger, extra contact lenses (“in case I lose a pair during a performance, which has definitely happened”), deodorant, hand cream, floss, roll of tape (“I’ve had a few ankle sprains lately, and tape provides a little support”).