![PNB-sarah-gabrielle-ryan-50](https://www.pnb.org/wp-content/uploads/PNB-sarah-gabrielle-ryan-50.jpg)
Q&A with Soloist Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan
Do you have pre-performance rituals?
I love matching the leotard I wear in class to the costume I’ll be wearing in performance.
How has your approach to the career changed over time?
After experiencing my first injury last season, I understand the importance of working smart, not hard. I feel I am so much more mindful when I dance now. It took me learning I am not invincible to be kinder to my body.
![Tarantella2019_LT_007](https://www.pnb.org/wp-content/uploads/tarantella2019_lt_007-scaled.jpg)
![sarah-gabrielle-ryan-1](https://www.pnb.org/wp-content/uploads/sarah-gabrielle-ryan-1.jpeg)
What is the best advice that you’ve ever received?
Never compare your path to others! We are all on our own journey and have our own timelines.
![sarah-gabrielle-ryan](https://www.pnb.org/wp-content/uploads/sarah-gabrielle-ryan-1.jpg)
![Giselle-sarah-gabrielle-ryan-kyle-davis](https://www.pnb.org/wp-content/uploads/Giselle-sarah-gabrielle-ryan-kyle-davis.jpeg)
Do you have talents or passions outside of dance?
Acting and karate (Kenpo) are two of my favorites. I find they’re helpful in dance as well. Acting helps with the storytelling we convey in ballets. The moves I learn in karate often feel like picking up combinations in class.
What are your favorite Seattle haunts?
I originally took this question way too literally and felt the need to say that the Haunted Underground Tour and the Georgetown Morgue are fun spots.