Because her career did not end when she could no longer perform, she is a model for lifelong achievement and growth as well. She chose her career, not because she wanted to be famous, but because she loved dancing for its own sake. This is a message for any young person about to embark on a career. Don't choose a job on the basis of what it pays. Like Suzanne Farrell, choose what you love to do most, rather than a job that promises money and/or fame.

Often what we love doing the most appears in some form in childhood. Farrell, for example, loved to play dress-up with her sisters and put on shows when she was child -- an activity that led eventually to the ballet and stage.

She started taking ballet lessons when she was a child, but because she had never been exposed to ballet, she had no idea what it would mean for her life. Her mother hoped it would give her poise and help her to learn to stay still -- although her desire and need to be always moving about probably contributed greatly to her success as a dancer later in life. There's probably a lesson for parents in that -- that sometimes the qualities their children have that drive them crazy are exactly what will help their children to succeed -- if they can find a positive way to express them.

For Farrell, ballet used...

She loved music, for example, and was moved by it. Music excited emotions inside her, and she was able to express them through her strong dramatic ability. Also, a quality she had that other dancers sometimes lack was an internal awareness. Dance gave her a way to get inside her body emotionally as well as physically. It helped her to connect with herself and her feelings. Although she was seen as a cool and unemotional dancer, inside she vibrated with life when the music started.
She could be anybody when she got on stage. Of course, she brought herself with her when she was dancing the role of someone else. Dancing not only allowed her to experience what it is like to be someone else, it also became the way to express her true identity and to find the meaning of her life. As with anyone who practices an art consistently and seriously, dancing led Suzanne Farrell to develop her spiritual qualities -- not in a religious sense, but in the sense that dancing brought great meaning to her life and a profound sense of her own identity. Dancing helped her to experience herself and who she really is. Beyond this, her extraordinary accomplishments, without precedence or parallel, have become a standard for other ballerinas who aspire to be great.