DANCER SPOTLIGHT: WADE MESECAR

What’s your “origin story”? How did you fall in love with ballet?

I used to watch my sisters do ballet class and one day I asked my mom if I could take a class myself. In my first class I was told I have nice legs and feet with the potential to go far. I walked out of my first class and asked my mom if I could do ballet forever. 

Do you have any pre-show rituals or good-luck habits?

I always need to roll out my muscles before a show and drink electrolyte water to make sure my muscles don’t cramp. I also like to make sure I am well fed as I’m not pleasant to be around when I’m hungry. 

Ballet is so demanding- how do you take care of your body and recharge offstage?

I use an infrared mask on my knees and ice my feet to reduce inflammation and soreness the following day. Additionally, I make a protein shake every evening with collagen for joint support. I always tell people 50% of our job is the physical demands of ballet and the other 50% is proper rest. 

What’s your go-to comfort food after a long rehearsal day?

My favorite snacks immediately after my rehearsal day are Trader Joe’s coconut water and the Chicken potstickers. 

Name: Wade Mesecar
Hometown: Bath, OH
Company Member Since: 2025
Instagram: @wadalicous

Dancer memories are super-charged. How do you keep track of choreography?

A lot of times after we rehearse a ballet for a number of weeks, hearing the music alone is enough to remember choreography. In the company, the dancers help each other remember our steps. Before a show, I always mark through my choreography less for remembering and more as a meditative state before I perform. This is because the steps are completely in my body by the time we have made it to the stage.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about dancing- or life in general?

The best advice I’ve been given is to take care of your mental health. Ballet is a mentally tough job and being able to come home and practice gratitude and mindfulness through journaling, meditation, or even taking a moment before bed to focus on things you are grateful for really sets you up for success. Slowing down to focus on what matters to you allows you to step into the studio with a clear head. 

If you could dance any role, regardless of gender or repertoire, what would it be?

It is my dream to perform any work by William Forsythe such as Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude or In the Middle Somewhat Elevated.

Aside form shoes and warmups, what is a staple in your dance bag?

I need my theraband at all times to warm up for class. I also use it to keep my feet warm during breaks throughout the rehearsal day. 

Where do you see ballet heading in the next few years, and what excites you most about being part that future?

Ballet has always had a place in our society and it excites me to see ballet being more and more mainstream. I predict as ballet adapts and evolves, dancers will see our jobs shift from a mostly consistent schedule of rehearsing and performing in a theater to dancers being used in other creative settings. To see ballet being welcomed into concerts, public spaces, outreach events, and DJ sets and new spaces on social media is so exciting to me. People romanticizing the ballet and dressing up and being excited to have a night out to see us dancers perform is so rewarding. I’m very excited to be working with the Grand Rapids Ballet on social media to keep the upward momentum ballet has right now. 

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