BALLERINAS: Two Dancers. Two Paths.

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  We are happy to introduce you to Elodie Dodd and Lotus Simms; two young women already holding their own in the demanding world of dance. Spend any time with them and not only struck by their talent and discipline, but certainly—but just as quickly by the quiet confidence and humility they both carry. Remarkably, the two had never really met before our photo shoot. There were, however, connections hiding in plain sight: Bolton Road, Bolton Academy, and dance. Elodie has grown up on the Upper Westside, attending Bolton Academy whileLotus spent one year there before taking an alternative route. Although the girls don’t remember crossing paths at school. Once they stepped in front of the camera together, there was an immediate ease between them—perhaps the kind that comes from recognizing the work behind what the other makes look effortless. Both girls are graders who commonly spend significant portions of their summer away from home immersed in dance while still learning to balance school with the discipline, sacrifice and hours of work their craft demands. Both girls seem to possess something difficult to teach: a genuine sense that they are exactly where they are supposed to be. At an age when so much is still being discovered, Elodie and Lotus already appear to be walking in their calling—one along a path deeply rooted in classical ballet, the other creating a path distinctly her own. Meet Elodie Dodd and Lotus Simms.