Cecilia Iliesiu in Zalman Raffael’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” © Nigel Armes.

Cecilia Iliesiu backstage

Ccilia Iliesiu

Cecilia Iliesiu dances in “I can” from A Street Symphony
Carolina Ballet

Cecilia Iliesiu of Carolina Ballet

I saw Melissa Podcasy’s farewell performance today 

It was so full of emotion and tears and 10 minutes of applause and roses everywhere. Farewell performances are crazy experiences. I also was sitting next to a guy who comes to all the shows and I casually mentioned to him that my favorite dancer, Cecilia Iliesiu, wasn’t dancing in this cast. He asked if I ever met her and said how sweet she was. She’s a gorgeous dancer, she’s in the corps and 21 but only gets soloist roles because Ricky recognized her talent. Everyone agrees she should be a soloist, she dances with so much passion that your entranced when she’s up there. She doesn’t have the “typical” body either, she’s very tall (5 foot 10) and has an average built, not stick skinny but strong looking. During intermission the guy sitting next to me came up and said “I’d like you to meet someone”. And there she was. I felt like a silly fangirl trying to compose myself considering she’s my age I was kinda in shock haha trying not to act strange but it was intimidating even though she was as sweet as can be. I kept complimenting her and we talked ballet and she said to add her on facebook. I hope I wasn’t too creepy. Don’t you hate dwelling on conversations thinking of what you should and totally shouldn’t have said?

Anyways. I also saw the parents of 2 girls I used to dance with for years (both are now in the company), 1 mother was a ballet teacher of mine for years and the company director and I hadn’t seen her in probably 5 years. It was so strange!

So yeah, an odd, emotional and great day mixed with some bittersweetness.

(Source: theballetblog)

Cecilia Iliesiu

(Source: theballetblog)

Dancers live hectic lives. There isn’t always time to cook up the ideal snack. Carolina Ballet corps de ballet member Cecilia Iliesiu takes a short cut: Her homemade “energy bites” skip the baking process altogether. All you have to do is stir the ingredients together, roll into balls and eat! “They’re a great protein boost for five-minute rehearsal breaks during the day, or between acts during a show,” says Iliesiu. She shared her recipe with Pointe Magazine.

No-Bake Energy Bites

Ingredients:
1 cup dry old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup nut butter (I used almond butter)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup agave or honey
1 tsp vanilla

Optional additions: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, dried fruit, dried berries, chopped nuts

Directions:

1) Stir everything all together and chill for half an hour to harden.

2) Roll into balls of whatever size and they are ready to eat.
source

Cecilia Iliesiu: Carolina Ballet 2011

(Source: theballetblog)

 Cecilia Iliesiu. © Tim Lytvinenko.

Why ballet ?

“Ballet is a particularly special art form for me because I am always striving for more – more grace, more strength, more precision, more everything. But pushing myself out of my limits is what makes ballet so enticing and exciting. A dancer can always learn more about their craft.”

What is your daily routine at the moment ?

7:20am: I wake up and make a protein shake.
8:30am: I am at the O2 Fitness gym (membership sponsored by Carolina Ballet) on the elliptical for stamina and on the mat doing Pilates mat for strength/core. My workouts last an hour or less.
9:40am: I am at the Carolina Ballet studios warming up, breaking in shoes, and getting ready for class.
10am-6:30pm: The company has a 1.5hr warm-up class and then a 6 hours day of rehearsals. After my day, I go home, do some schoolwork (I take distance education classes at NCSU), eat dinner, hang out or call friends, and ice if necessary. I try to get eight hours of sleep and start it all over.”

(Source: theballetblog)

Cecilia Iliesiu
Carolina Ballet

Cecilia Iliesiu

Cecilia Iliesiu

Cecilia Iliesiu