Dancer Isabella Boylston on Fighting Ballet Stereotypes, Content Creation, and Listening to Her Ankles

Welcome to En Pointe, a quarterly series that offers a deep dive into the intersection of beauty and dance through the eyes of up-and-coming, multidisciplinary dance talent. Expect an intimate look into the daily lives, dreams, and dance-bag beauty essentials of the industry's best young performers.

It's been years since I last put on my pointe shoes and dedicated early mornings to rehearsals and late nights to extended classes, but the dancer in me is nowhere near dormant. I catch myself slipping easily into old ballet habits without thinking twice about them—stretching mindlessly in between video call meetings and using the classic Tombé Pas de Bourrée combination to transport myself from one location to another. When I'm not scrolling through TikTok, there's a good chance I'm watching my favorite talented ballerinas perform the roles I dreamt about as a young dancer, marking every move with little flicks of the wrist and still letting myself get carried away to the sounds of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.

I watch ballet variations like some watch their favorite podcasters, taking note of the familiar faces of dancers who've made frequent appearances on my For You page (and the world's most recognizable stages) throughout the years. Last month, I met one of these individuals, American Ballet Theatre's principal dancer, Isabella Boylston, as she embarked on another busy performance season. Within the first few seconds of our call, we zoomed right past shy introductions, instead reminiscing over shared memories of rehearsals and this year's Nutcracker's preeminent casting. Less than a minute in, Boylston invited me to attend one of the ballet's upcoming 14 performances with a bright smile.

Fresh from rehearsal, Boylston spent the last 30 minutes of a long workday cluing me in on her career, beginning in Midwestern ballet studios, the big move to New York City as a young dancer, and the 21 years she's spent performing with ABT. She also broke down exactly how she began documenting her life as a professional ballerina on her social media platforms with thousands of viewers. Read on to get a peek into the life of one of this generation's most talented ballet dancers and learn about everything from Boylston's pointe-shoe habits to her nonnegotiable beauty essentials.

Meet Isabella Boylston: Principal Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre and Content Creator

When our virtual meeting began, I noticed the name "Hildur" displayed briefly on the screen before Boylston made her appearance. When asked, she explained that Hildur was, in fact, her birth name, and that Isabella, her middle name, was her chosen stage name. "I don't think that many people know about it, but that's what I went with when I went professional," she explained. "They thought 'Isabella' would perform better." When she began her ballet training, however, she was Hildur from Sun Valley, Idaho, a resort town known for its miles of illustrious mountain trails and wildflower-filled meadows and as a year-round hub for arts and culture.

Although no one in her family had a deep interest in ballet, or had ever pursued a career in dance, Boylston wasn't without ample inspiration in the arts. She grew up around music, as her dad was a drummer who enjoyed playing his favorite tunes in the basement and, a little less intentionally, on the steering wheel as he drove. "I think that introduction to music and rhythm was the first thing that really connected me with ballet. It was that, and I also really loved the creativity of it," Boylston explains. She describes her personality during the early childhood years as being very free-spirited, improvisational, and called to dance. When she discovered that her innate love for movement could become a career, Boylston decided to work toward becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Ahead of Boylston's senior year of high school, she was offered a position with ABT's Studio Company (the theater's junior company with the goal of preparing young dancers for careers in the main company). While she was initially very interested in making the leap, her parents encouraged her to complete high school before embarking on a professional career. They reached a compromise, and Boylston graduated early ahead of joining the Studio Company halfway through her senior year. Spring 2026 will mark Boylston's 20th season with ABT. "My time with them has really flown by, but it's also been hard, long, and fun," she says. "It's been a whole roller coaster!"

Looking back at Boylston's career thus far, there are major milestones that come to mind as her "I made it" moments. For one, her very first performance as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, for example, was a dream role of hers, like it is for so many dancers. "Getting to embody the character to Tchaikovsky music on the Met stage in front of 4000 people for the first time was so surreal. I'll never forget that day!" she says. Another very notable moment that has helped define Boylston's career to this point was performing as a guest artist with the Paris Opera Ballet. "I remember doing Don Quixote on Christmas Eve, and my dad and stepmom came into town to see it. We had lunch the day of the show, and when I said bye to them, I couldn't stop crying, because I was so nervous," she says. As soon as she got on stage, however, the feeling passed and she felt ready to perform.

The Turning Pointe

Just as generations of classical ballet dancers have done before her, Boylston came to a conclusion on how she'd like to move through the world of dance. Body image, for example, was something she had to confront as a young dancer during her training. "When I was in school and going through puberty, I did have a teacher that told me to lose weight, which was devastating to hear," she says. "Finding a way to guard your self-esteem is an important skill to have in ballet."

Boylston encourages dancers to focus on the power and beauty in being unique, as it's what can set you apart from everyone else. "When you're watching a performance, what moves the audience isn't just a person's technique or lines—it's their personality, individuality, and how a dancer uses what they've got in an artistic and moving way that makes a difference." Boylston also notes that throughout her career, she has focused on improving the way she talks to herself, takes care of her body, and sets boundaries. "[Setting boundaries] is always a challenge in ballet because you're brought up to be respectful—which is such a beautiful thing about the culture! But sometimes, it's to your own detriment," she explains.

Staying confident in her body and artistry continues to be something Boylston is committed to working on as she continues on in her career as a professional ballet dancer. "No matter what is happening externally, I have to remember that I should build myself up," she says. She also recognizes the impact that having incredible mentors has had on her career and highlights the importance of building a strong support system through friends and colleagues as a must in any dancer's life. In addition to shifting the way she speaks to herself, Boylston also journals and shares her thoughts with others through therapy. "Being lifted up by my friends has been what's gotten me through all the difficult moments in my career, including injuries," explains Boylston.

The discipline and respect that dancers gain as they train will serve them well throughout their lives, whether they decide to pursue a professional career or not. "I have so many friends I went to school with who didn't become professional dancers or have since retired, and they're all killing it!" she continues "There's something about ballet that can set you up really well for anything because it's so challenging." Dancing in the studio also forces you to be completely present in order to improve, requiring a concentration achieved without the help of phones or social media.

Sharing the Dance Life

Boylston is one of the few professional ballet dancers in a leading company who shares bits and pieces of her life through an impressive social media presence. Bite-size videos and pictures posted to her platforms detail everything from breaking in pairs of custom-order Bloch European Balance pointe shoes by molding them on concrete stairs and rehearsing for upcoming performances in the studio. Her ballet vlogs, in particular, take viewers through entire days as a dancer, from studio to stage. "Misty Copeland is a close friend of mine and was a big inspiration! She was the first ballerina I was aware of who crossed over into the mainstream to work with brands."

After being inspired by Copeland, Boylston considered how she could use social media to build a business for herself alongside her dance career. "I love ballet and want as many people to be able to experience it as possible," she says. "Doing BTS stuff on social media has been such an awesome way to connect with people and show them a different side of a ballerina." It also provided a great opportunity for Boylston to help combat inaccurate media portrayals of dancers based on harmful stereotypes while showing that it can be enjoyable and challenging.

In the past, Boylston has also shared with her audience the complexities of being injured as a dancer and the unique recovery processes. However, learning how to listen to what her body needs all comes down to experience. "I still feel so great physically, but the recovery time you need gets longer the older you get," she says. When COVID-19 required studios and theaters to close, she began prioritzing Pilates to help keep her body strong, limber, and flexible. After struggling with her right ankle on and off all last season, she got an MRI on both that revealed multiple old injuries that went unhealed after dancing through the injuries. "The time on stage that we have can feel so precious sometimes it pushes you to do things that you probably shouldn't do," explains Boylston. "I've learned to listen to my body more and stop when it needs to rest."

Ballerina Beauty 101

With all the movement dancers do throughout their careers, it should be no surprise that the skin can sometimes reflect the effects of perspiration, environmental aggressors, and heavy makeup. With 20 seasons under her belt as a dancer with ABT, Boylston has discovered the key to keeping her skin healthy. Following a less-is-more mindset, in the morning, the dancer washes her face with water before using Mad Hippie's Vitamin C Serum ($30), followed by a moisturizer. For the cooler months, she uses the Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream ($20) from Weleda because it locks in moisture with a rich formula, and sometimes she also opts for the Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream ($20).

Boylston uses a refreshing face spray to soothe and hydrate the skin after rehearsals. To finish out her busy days, she uses the Mellow Mallow: Nourishing Gel Cleanser ($35) from Murmure Skin (a brand cofounded by retired ABT dancer Emily Hayes), and Shiseido's Perfect Cleansing Oil ($36) for light exfoliation. For physical exfoliation, she favors the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask ($58). Last, she uses the Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask ($49) as a moisture-replenishing nightly moisturizer.

Shop Boylston's Beauty Edit