Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/642573
106 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 3.16 1 0 6 L O U I S V I L L E M A G A Z I N E 3 . 1 6 TOOL OF THE TRADE Photo by Chris Witzke "Sixteen was really the age that I was like, 'Yep, this is what I want to do,'" says Leigh Anne Albrechta, 26, who has been with the Louisville Ballet for seven seasons. "I was doing gymnastics at the same time. I was either gonna try to go to the Olympics or do this, and I decided to do this. I was getting really tired of being judged and given a number for a performance, whereas, with ballet, people clap and they're so happy and enjoy a story and you're like, 'Yeah, I did that!'" On March 4 and 5, she'll appear in the Louisville Ballet and Louisville Orchestra's Spring Collaboration, featuring original music and choreography. Albrechta is pictured with what she calls her toys: foam roller for tired, sore muscles; yoga mat (she is also an instructor at Heat Yoga and Wellness in St. Matthews); soft overball for head and neck support or foot and calf strengthening; foam pads for jumping work; balancing (or wobble) board; fve- pound weight for inner thigh work; massage ball; and TheraBands for foot, ankle and other strength work. Before she arrives for daylong training at 9:30 a.m., she'll have already gone to the gym, where she often swims. "I think the audience only sees the pretty side of things. They only see the tutus and the makeup, and it is glamorous, but at the end of the day it's pure, raw sweat and work," she says. "That's what gets us going." — Mary Chellis Austin