Franklin local Erin Williams has been dancing for as long as she can remember. In fact, when she wasn’t hanging out on Main Street or strolling in Pinkerton Park, you could find her staging performances in front of her fireplace for family and friends. That might explain why at the age of six, Erin’s parents enrolled her in the School of Nashville Ballet’s children’s classes. Little did they know, this would be the start of her extraordinary dance career.
Even at a young age, Erin’s talent and determination were apparent and she was invited to join the School of Nashville Ballet’s Academy, where she used every opportunity to learn and grow her artistry and technique. This earned her roles in several mainstage productions with Nashville Ballet’s company artists as a member of the youth cast, including the highly-coveted role of Clara in Nashville’s Nutcracker in 2012.
"Since I’ve always known that I wanted dance to be a part of my life forever, doing it professionally seemed to be the clear choice, and my heart just told me I needed to do it here in Nashville,” explained Erin.
Fortunately for Erin, she was offered a contract to dance full time with NB2, Nashville Ballet’s official second company, at the age of seventeen. Two short years later, she was promoted into the main company as a company apprentice.
In her professional career, Erin has performed in well-known classical ballets like Romeo and Juliet, in addition to uniquely Nashville works created by world-renowned choreographers and set to music performed by Nashville musicians. In just the last three years, Nashville Ballet company dancers have performed with local talents like Maren Morris, Ben Folds, Sugar and the Hi-Lows, and Louis York. While these “pinch me” moments occur regularly for Erin and her fellow company artists, they know that opportunities like these can be found only in Music City.
“It’s a feeling you get when you’re here,” shared Erin. “I’ve always felt like it was a safe space where I can grow artistically but still be challenged. You have to be flexible, versatile, and always willing to absorb more information because [dance] is ever changing. Every young dancer should start practicing that so you can learn to adapt.”
That versatility has certainly paid off over the past year, when performing live became impossible due to the pandemic. Company dancers, used to feeding off the energy of the audience, were challenged to express their passion through the digital lens in virtual performances. Thankfully, Nashville Ballet makes their return to live performances this May at Ascend Amphitheater and Erin and her fellow company artists can’t wait.
“We are so ready to perform live,” shared Erin. “I love knowing that this will be our audience’s first live performance in a while too. We will all be feeling that adrenaline of being back, and it’s going to be a really special moment that everyone can enjoy.”
While company members and patrons alike are certainly looking forward to these monumental events on May 14th and 15th, it will be extra special for Erin, who never loses the excitement of performing for her hometown community.
To learn more about School of Nashville Ballet or to purchase tickets to Nashville Ballet LIVE at Ascend Amphitheater, visit nashvilleballet.com. 
