Today we’d like to introduce you to Alayna Wong.
Hi Alayna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a professional ballet dancer currently based in Dallas. On the side, I run a small business selling crocheted stuffed animals under the name “Jeté & Crochet” – jeté is a ballet step and rhymes with crochet. In 2021, as a ballet major studying at the University of Oklahoma, I started selling my stuffies for fun at the local monthly art fair and surprisingly got some traction in my college town. The income from the crocheting helped with the costs from auditioning, and I was fortunate to receive a job offer from Ballet North Texas, a ballet company here in Dallas, with whom I still dance today. Jeté & Crochet is also still up and running and I’m so lucky to be surrounded by so much love and support for both my dance and crochet careers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to becoming a professional dancer is infamously difficult, but most dancers enter this career knowing it will be hard and are ready to face it. For one thing, physical things like my height (I’m 5’1″) have already barred me from even applying for certain jobs and caused me to lose out on leading roles. For another thing, the arts fulfill the the soul but often do not pay the bills, and most dancers, myself included, work several other jobs just to be able to dance, losing out on time for things like rest, recovery, and cross-training. But like I said before: we dancers know that this career is short and difficult, but it is worth facing these challenges to be able for something so very special indeed.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, I suppose I’m known as that ballerina who crochets! As a dancer, I’ve been told that my stage presence, smile, and movement quality are particularly noteworthy. I also love to jump – my favorite parts of ballet class are petit allegro and grand allegro (small and large jumps), which come a bit more naturally to me than other skills like turning and extensions sometimes do. Fittingly, I’m often cast in roles that are bright and bouncy – I’m a self-proclaimed soubrette – which I enjoy very much. I do also love the slow dramatic stuff and enjoy the opportunities to engage with and improve on it when they come.
As a crochet artist, I specialize in amigurumi, which is a Japanese technique for making stuffed animals and characters. I design all of my own patterns and offer a wide range of animals, plants, fruits and veggies, and other objects that come to life with cute little faces. I also love getting custom orders because people get very creative with their ideas; from pets to Pokémon, the possibilities are almost endless.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The thing that helps me the most is attempting to shut off or redirect my brain whenever I have the chance to rest! On my spare moments off, I like to listen to lofi to keep myself calm and content. My favorite podcast for a while has been Dear Hank and John by Hank and John Green – it’s nice to feel like I’m just hanging out with two people chatting about everything except dance, haha! I also recently went through an Agatha Christie phase where I listened to almost her whole anthology over the summer.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @alayyynawong and @jeteandcrochet
Image Credits
Brandon Jacob, Samuel Jones Media, Gregory Seaton, Doug Hill, Shevaun Williams, ArtLouseFilms
