Izabelly Gleed started ballet when she was 4 years old. “A doctor suggested [dancing] for my feet instead of correction boots,” says Gleed. “I actually wasn’t thrilled at first and often would try to escape ballet classes early on!” Now, Gleed is rounding out her seventh and final season as a company artist with Charlottesville Ballet. She’ll take the stage on February 2 and 3 at CB’s Heartbeats, an intimate, hour-long performance of contemporary choreography and classical favorites, including the Grand Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire. Stick around after the show to meet and mingle with Gleed and other dancers. charlottesvilleballet.org
Name: Izabelly Gleed.
Age: 33.
Pronouns: She/her.
Hometown: Vitória, Brazil.
Job(s): Ballerina and dance teacher with Charlottesville Ballet.
What’s something about your job that people would be surprised to learn: How hard it actually is to dance for hours and look effortless while doing it. It takes a lot of endurance and daily training to create the beauty you see on stage.
First role you danced: The Bluebird variation from the famous ballet Sleeping Beauty.
Favorite ballet move: Petite and grand allegro (the little jumps and big leaps).
Favorite role you’ve performed: Kitri in Don Quixote—this was with the Cuban ballet school Espaço da Dança, and my partner was my ballet teacher.
Dream role: Myrtha in the romantic ballet Giselle or George Balanchine’s Serenade.
What’s on your pre-show playlist: A lot of Brazilian music and all of them from different genres. I also enjoy Coldplay to balance the Portuguese.
Best part of living here: How gorgeous Charlottesville is. It doesn’t matter which season we are in, there are so many amazing views in all of them.
Worst part of living here: The chaos and indecision on inclement weather days in the winter.
Favorite restaurant: Bang!
Bodo’s order: Capicola and/or three-cheese sandwiches.
What’s your comfort food: For a meal, I go with a good dish of meat, rice, and beans … and I always want chocolate as comfort food.
How do you take your coffee: For everyday coffee, I take it with cream, and for special days I go with a vanilla latte. Charlottesville Ballet’s downtown studios are next to JBird Supply, which is dangerous.
Who is your hero: I have to say my mom, who is a true inspiration to me.
Best advice you ever got: Everything has its own time. If it hasn’t happened yet, maybe something else will and you might even prefer it.
Proudest accomplishment: Being able to do what I love. Lots of little girls dream of being a ballerina, but very few make it into this competitive career and I feel lucky to be one of those few.
Describe a perfect day: Any day that I get to spend time with people I love.
If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: My puppy because she has everything she could ever want and lives the best life.
If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: To travel the world, to be able to spend more time with family and friends, and to never get another injury.
Most embarrassing moment: My bachelorette party back in 2019.
Do you have any pets: Yes, a very cute English bulldog named Clara, who’s named after the lead character in The Nutcracker.
Favorite movie and/or show: Right now it’s “Reacher,” but it depends on the month and what mood I’m in.
Favorite book: Honestly I have many of them since I read a lot, but the first one from my childhood that will always be with me is Harry Potter. I’m also into Stephen King right now.
What are you listening to right now: Coldplay and Taylor Swift.
Go-to karaoke song: “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay.
Best Halloween costume you’ve worn: A cow onesie, complete with a pink udder on the front. My students love it, and it sometimes makes appearances at the theater to keep my body warm backstage.
Who’d play you in a movie: Jenna Ortega.
Celebrity crush: Henry Cavill.
Most used app on your phone: WhatsApp and Candy Crush.
Last text you sent: Love you (to my husband).
Most used emoji: Laughing crying face and heart.
Best journey you ever went on: Moved to the U.S. from Brazil without really knowing anyone, got a job, made friends, and ended up finding an amazing person, who’s now my husband, in the process.
Next journey: I am retiring from dancing professionally this spring, which is bittersweet for me. I will still work closely teaching students and being a manager at Charlottesville Ballet Academy, and I cannot wait to see what life has for me in its next chapter.
Favorite word: Saudade, which doesn’t have an exact translation to English, but it’s similar to missing something or someone.
Hottest take: Air fryers don’t work as well as the real thing.
What have you forgotten today: To buy eggs at the grocery store—I was too focused on planning my ballet classes!