Guest blogger: Shelby Elsbree, dancer

And now to one more guest appearance. This time it's Shelby Elsbree, corps de ballet, who's from New York. You can follow Shelby on her great blog: http://www.tutusandtea.wordpress.com 

"It's funny how life can catch you by surprise when you least expect it... If someone had told me I would be performing at the David Koch Theater 5 years ago, I would have humbly dreamt up the opportunity under far different circumstances. 

As a student at the School of American Ballet, I frequented the grand audience at Lincoln Center to see countless performances of New York City Ballet. I even had the honor of performing George Balanchine's Nutcracker, and the first movement of Serenade there some six, seven years ago as an ambitious, high-bunned student of the company's official school located across the plaza.

...Little did I know it would take a move across the Atlantic and two seasons with one of the world's oldest ballet companies to find myself back on that beguiling stage, further educated in a different style of dance (Bournonville), proud of my path and humbled by the possibility to perform for friends, family, respected colleagues and idolized performers of my past.

The thing about New York City is that it simply doesn't stop. It is wide awake when you leave it, and it is wide awake when you come back... Consistently crazy and contagiously energizing.

I am simply beyond grateful for the chance to perform here in a different light. The past month of touring America has been blissfully rewarding in more ways than I could ever imagine and finishing our season here, the cherry on top of an infamous slice of NY Cheesecake.

Here's to the unpredictable paths of life... reflection on the past, opportunity of the present and spontaneity of the future.

This is New York!"