Day In The Life: Pennsylvania Ballet Dancer (And Sugarplum Fairy) Lauren Fadeley

We chatted with Lauren Fadeley (you might recognize her from the Nutcracker signs hanging along Broad Street—she’s the Sugarplum Fairy) to see how she gets in shape, what she snacks on, where she shops and what exactly those Nutcracker costumes look  like. Check out her picks below.

I wake up at 8 a.m. My [1] husband—who is also a principal dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet, and the director of Pennsylvania Ballet II—and I bought a house in the Italian Market a year and a half ago. We live there with our pets, a 175-pound [2] English mastiff and my cat, who has six toes on each paw. // We usually rehearse about five hours a day, and we have an hour-and-a-half class in the morning. The Sporting Club at the Bellevue is the official gym of Pennsylvania Ballet. I love taking Gina Stickney-Weddle’s yoga classes there whenever my rehearsal schedule permits. // I love to eat. Dancers actually eat a lot. If you don’t, then you can’t do what we do. My favorite restaurants are Amada, Mercato and Sbraga. My husband and I have turned Kevin Sbraga into a ballet fan. We’ve gotten him and his family tickets to several of our shows, and they will be coming to see us in [3] Nutcracker this year. // I have at least one dessert every day. My favorite bakery is [4] Sweet Freedom. Everything they have is gluten-, corn-, peanut-, dairy- and wheat-free. I follow a mostly paleo diet, so it’s a nice treat. // I don’t cut my hair often so that I can pull it back for ballet, but Ashley Gadille at Dina Alon Hair and Make-Up Studio gives the best cuts that grow out really well. // I go to [5] Things I Like Boutique for unique vintage and new pieces. Blendo for fun gifts. On 13th Street, Verde for great jewelry, Open House for Christmas presents, and [6] Duross & Langel for bath bombs and essential oils. // I had the opportunity to guest with BalletX at the Wilma Theater. I love the intimacy of the Wilma. We get comp tickets through the ballet to see touring companies at the Annenberg, and it’s always interesting to see what other dance companies are doing.