My name is Julia Erickson, a Principal dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) and the co-founder and President of Barre, the real food bar developed by dancers, for everyone. My partner and CEO of Barre, Aaron Ingley, retired from PBT in 2008 after a nine-year career. We would like to thank Career Transition For Dancers for providing incredible support to the professional dance world through its counseling and grant programs. Thanks to a business grant I received from CTFD in 2011, Aaron and I were able to upgrade our Barre website to a new professional look and function. Aaron also received a CTFD grant in 2008 to study business at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with honors in 2011. We are now running a successful nutrition bar company with the business expertise Aaron gained while in Business School at Pitt.
CTFD is important because it recognizes the 
efforts and sacrifice of career dancers like us. As dancers we dedicate so much of our lives to our art form and it is incredible that there is an organization to help provide the support and confidence we need to pursue our future passions. It’s truly a delight to be involved with the dance world on multiple levels simultaneously, as both artists and dance-related small business owners. We hope to pay it forward by raising awareness of healthy eating in the dance world and beyond. We feel passionate about giving back to the dance community; as part of our mission a portion of all Barre’s proceeds benefit arts education organizations.
Thanks CTFD for helping us make our dreams come true!
