Shelby Elsbree is a former professional Ballet Dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and the Boston Ballet and currently the epitome of a multi-hyphenate: an Arts Advocate, Writer, Yoga Teacher, Model, and the Founder of Artists Becoming. Today, she gives us her guide to Copenhagen, Denmark.

Where are you from and where do you live now?  Sarasota, Florida! I left at 13 to pursue my dance training in New York City, worked, lived abroad, and called Copenhagen, Denmark, Boston, MA, and NYC home before returning to Sarasota amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic. Currently, calling my home sweet home, my home sweet home!

When did you begin practicing ballet?  I started dancing at the age of 9 — considered a “late” start for ballet, actually! ;) 

Tell us about your Ballet career with SAB and the Royal Danish Ballet?  I attended a ballet summer intensive program at SAB when I was 13 years old. At the end of the summer, they asked me to stay for their year-round training program, and I never looked back! After 5 years of training in the heart of Lincoln Center, I moved to Copenhagen, Denmark to pursue my professional career as a Corps de Ballet member with the Royal Danish Ballet. RDB is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe, known as the ‘founding father’ of a ballet style called “Bournonville.” Having trained in the style of “Balanchine” at SAB, it was a thrilling challenge to learn/adapt quickly, and indulgent to dance many Balanchine ballets under the artistic direction of Nikolaj Hübbe, who’d recently retired as a Principal Dancer with NYCB before returning to lead his home company in Copenhagen. I danced there for 4 years before returning to the States to join the Boston Ballet, where my career continued a bit closer to home for the next 3 years. After dedicating my life to ballet for over 16 years, I decided to retire to pursue my education in Psychology at Columbia University. I remain extremely close to the dance world and intend on dedicating the rest of my life to giving back and supporting dancers in any way, shape, and form I can! :) 

Who were your mentors?  I feel so lucky to recognize several relationships in my life as mentorships. Within the dance world, I found mentors in older, more seasoned dancers (across ranks from senior corps members to star principal ballerinas). Outside of the theater, I found perspective and mentorship in my professors, my friends’ parents, my own parents, and of course, my older sister. What gifts. I don’t take one of them for granted and fully acknowledge the ways in which they shaped my career, the timing of my decisions, and who I believe myself to be to this very day. 

What were some of your favorite roles or favorite ballets in general? Mmmm such a delicious question. I have a soft spot for pretty much every Balanchine ballet, but especially the simple “leotard” ballets, which were designed for viewers to “see the music and hear the dance” (Balanchine’s words). Such simple, streamlined brilliance in choreography, musicality, and artistic nuance. Balanchine's ‘Serenade’ will always be a favorite to have danced across European and American stages. In Denmark, two favorites included Jerome Robbins’ ‘Dances at a Gathering’ (for the relationship between the dancers, subtly of storytelling and time with Chopin) and The Lesson (“Enetime” in Danish) — choreographed by Flemming Flindt & inspired by Eugene Ionesco, it’s a dark, profound drama told by 3 dancers, a bit of a Danish legacy. As a foreigner entrusted with this story-telling, that was a super meaningful role to bring to life. 

What is your favorite opera house or city to perform in and why?  The Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris and the Koch (formerly “State”) theatre in NYC’s Lincoln Center will always hold special places in my heart for their grandiose history and the legacy of footsteps they carry… though the majority of my career was spent on the “Gamle Scene” or Old Stage at the Royal Danish Ballet’s Opera House, and the Boston Opera House — both of which are historic, majestic havens of live Art in the purest of forms. The Queen’s Box at Gamle Scene was an added fairytale perk :) 

Why and how did you transition from Ballet?  This is a long & meaningful story… but in short: I decided to leave the Stage to “create” myself through school, and visions of parlaying the experience of my dance career into and onto something bigger; something that might give me the opportunity to speak from another “Stage” while giving back and contributing meaningfully to the many special stages I left behind. 

Why did you choose to study Psychology at Columbia University? What was your most important takeaway?  I LOVE how Psychology challenges you to question your thinking… to learn, to un-learn and re-learn the many things we take for granted as ‘functioning’ human beings. To spend time asking “better” questions versus dignifying questions that have more potential with an attempt at response… I loved sharing my learnings from those classes, and figured if I was that “jazzed” up to riff on the work of early psychologists to literally anyone I spoke to, there might be something there… 

You have your YTT certification. Any similarities/differences between the practice or study of yoga and ballet? So many! But also so many *welcome* differences. I found & fell in love with Yoga during my years at Columbia when I needed an excuse to move/breathe/workout/pray & feel held ...and Yoga offered answers to all of this in a 60-minute class. Similar to ballet, Yoga is a conversation between breath and body… Differently, it’s an honoring of your presence and present in a form that’s not trying to get at anything “better” or “perfect” - more of a recognition that just by showing up for yourself on your mat, you’ve done more than enough. 

How long did you live in Copenhagen? I was blessed to live & dance in Copenhagen for 4 years to the day, from the age of 18-22. 

Cultural differences between Copenhagen and Boston? So many sweet & surprising similarities between these two quaint cities, and of course many obvious differences. Similarly, they share a sea-side history and European charm, intense winters, and appreciation for the Arts. Apart, Copenhagen is one of a kind for its subtly of culture, emphasis on Scandinavian design, European traditions and Nordic palate. Boston of course, the Colonial American “sister” is significantly younger in history, probably more diversified in culture/tradition (given it’s history) and of course, it’s obsession with sports ;) 

What do you miss most about Copenhagen? Pretty much absolutely everything save for the loneliness of being apart from my family, and the long, dark chill of Scandinavian winters. Copenhagen hosts a certain “je ne sais quois” kind of charm, it’s entire aesthetic (as a city, a culture, etc) is easeful and inspired. I mostly miss the people that became my closest friends and chosen family. Copenhagen will forever and ever host a rather large chunk of my heart. 

Is hygge truly as prominent as it seems? It absolutely is, though it’s ingrained in the fabric of Danish/Scandinavian history contrary to the naivety of our newfound western “obsession.” Of course, the best place to practice it is in Copenhagen - in the dark of winter, surrounded by close friends/family, a table full of tea candles & gløgg (mulled wine), with nowhere else to be. 

Tell us about your new venture, Artists Becoming, and congratulations!  Thank you! Artists Becoming is a wellness workshop for performing artists that I co-founded with another former Ballerina & Broadway actress, Jessica Cohen. It’s a 4-week workshop designed to empower, equip & refuel you as a performing artist by supplementing your technical training with mindful conditioning & emotional support.

Combining Yoga, Meditation, integrative prompts & empowering conversation with guest Artists, The Workshop is uniquely designed to help you:

- Reconnect with yourself & your gifts - Metabolize your injuries/setbacks & embrace your professional pivots - Show up & own your worth - Articulate your potential beyond the stage by finding power within the gifts you’ve worked your life to cultivate

If you’re interested (or know a performing artist that might benefit from this resource/community) find out more/enroll at www.artistsbecoming.com or follow along on Instagram: @artistsbecoming.

STAY

D’Angleterre is right next to Gamle Scene (The “Old Stage” Royal Opera House) in the smack dab middle of the city — it’s hosted a bevy of historic people and is quite the sight to see.

The Nimb Hotel (located in the middle of Tivoli) is absolutely extraordinary (as is Tivoli) and across the street from there, The Radisson Collection Royal Hotel is the world’s first design hotel by renowned Designer and Architect Arne Jacobsen. It’s so simple and so stunning (to say nothing of the to die for continental breakfast). 

DRINK | DINE

I know the restaurant scene has evolved (and blown up!) since I moved back to the States, but while there, I frequented Mother (brick oven pizza in the “meatpacking district” - surrounded by fun bars) and treated myself here and again to Geist - just near the Royal Theater. 

For bakeries/cafés, Lagkagehuset (a famous, “quintessentially Danish” bakery) and Beau Marche - the most “hygge”, French-inspired café tucked back into a courtyard, and right beside an exquisite houseware store by the same name. I dream about that little nook of Copenhagen’s city center… 

Conditori La Glace (one of the oldest tea & cake houses in Copenhagen) and The Royal Smushi Café located on the popular shopping/walking street, Strøget. Must-tries include chocolate-coated marshmallow treats called Flødeboller, my personal favorite Danish Seeded Pastry Twists called Frøsnappers, and during the Christmas Holiday, Aebleskiver - a Danish dessert, like doughnut holes (sweeter & much better) traditionally served with a piping hot cup of glogg.

For locals-only spots, check out the more “grunge/hipster’ neighborhood of Nørrebro for great shopping, chill restaurants, and bars near the lake. Torvehallerne is a *beautiful* food/produce market that’s truly lovely to experience, Papiroeen is a great scene for grabbing ‘street food’ (way better) and sitting by the water (especially during the warmer months), I’ve also heard good things of Reffen - a newer open-air food market, super hip and naturally, Scandinavian chic. 

ARTS | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES

Museums include the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, the National Aquarium Denmark is spectacular (if not for the architecture of the building, alone) and if you have children, the Experimentarium is *the coolest* interactive children’s “museum” I’ve ever been to… even as an adult ;) 

SHOP

Strøget is a popular walking/strolling/shopping street in the middle of Copenhagen - I found a bunch of little gems on the smaller streets that run perpendicular to it… the City Center itself is filled with inspiring and aesthetically exquisite shops of all varieties… for vintage/second-hand finds, look to the south-end of Strøget, (close to Town Hall) and over the lakes in Nørrebro! 

SPA

I will *forever* pine for the massages I got from magician Rasmus Bonde at Privatklinikken KBH — Such a gifted healer. 

DAY & WEEKEND TRIPS

Malmo, Sweden is delightful! A short drive (or cheap bus-ride right from the center of CPH) and is an absolutely beautiful day trip. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a short trip outside of the city, a must-see! Weekend trips might be driving to Aarhus, Skagen, or surrounding seaside towns not far from Copenhagen (Denmark is relatively small, so a “long drive” might be 3-4 hours… If you’re feeling ambitious, Oslo is a quick flight!)

Text: Veronica H. Speck Photo: Karolina Kuras Follow: @selsbree and @artistsbecoming