Profile: Allison Piccone

            Ever since she was a child, Allison Piccone knew what she wanted to do with her life. At the age of six, she was enrolled into her first dance classes. She started with tap and modern dance classes which gave her a first taste of what it was like.
            Piccone moved into ballet when she was approaching middle school. Her biggest decision to help push her along was joining Ballet NJ when she was 12. This program concentrated on ballet and she was there six days a week. Piccone became immersed into ballet as she would go straight to rehearsal once she got from school.
            She spends most her time reading, watching, and practicing how to become a better ballerina. She told me ballet helps her express her imagination and herself as she is out on stage. Piccone also mentioned ballet is all about movement and creating lines with your body. She said, “Ballet is an art form with your body.”

            This past spring she completed the Ballet NJ program along with high school. She had a tough decision to make on whether to go to college as a dance major or give up dance to pursue something else in college. At the last minute, she found out about a trainee program. A trainee program allows young dancers to join a ballet company at an amateur level. After hours of research and an audition, she was accepted into the American Repertory Ballet at the Princeton Ballet School.
            This is a two-year program that she attends six days a week. She trains and performs alongside professionals as she hopes to emulate them. When Piccone completes the program, she hopes to join the American Repertory Ballet as an apprentice or company member. After that she hopes to go even higher. “My dream is to join the Washington or Pennsylvania Ballet,” Piccone said. Every day she is working to achieve her dream.