Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Martin.
Hi Meredith, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been a dancer since I was four years old. My mom started me in ballet and tap classes, and I completely fell in love. Twenty-plus years later, I have a degree in musical theatre from Brenau University, trained with the Rockettes and at Broadway Dance Center, performed with countless prestigious NYC entertainment companies, and most recently, earned a Bronze Level certification to teach ballroom dance. Movement has always been my creative outlet. However, it wasn’t always a clear path to the career I have today. When I was 10 years old, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. It was a subtle, 19-degree curve and the doctor said, “Let’s wait and see what happens”. In the following year, I grew almost four inches and subsequently grew into my curve. It escalated from 19 degrees to 68 degrees practically overnight. The doctors quickly changed their tune from waiting to full-blown spinal fusion surgery at the age of 12.
As a dancer, this diagnosis was devastating. The surgery is incredibly invasive, long, and the results are varied. There was a very high chance I wouldn’t be able to dance at the level I dreamed of. And as a 12 years old girl, this diagnosis was extremely isolating. I didn’t know anyone else with scoliosis, let alone scoliosis severe enough to warrant a spinal fusion. After many internet searches and tears and worry, my mom and I discovered a new bracing technique that was in the early stages of development. Instead of a rigid brace worn over the clothing, this SpineCor brace was flexible, supportive, and discreet. I could still dance in it, and it gave me the necessary support and stabilization to push the surgery off until I was older. I kept dancing competitively all through high school and discovered a deep love for musical theater. When I was a junior in college, I was cast as Dream Laurey in my college’s production of Oklahoma! It was a dream come true – Dream Laurey dances a 14-minute dramatic ballet sequence at the end of act one. I had the time of my life onstage, but things were getting harder offstage. There were certain rehearsals I wasn’t able to walk after, and after a two weeks show run, my back pain was at an all-time high. I finally decided to go through with the corrective surgery in May of 2015.
After a 7-hour surgery, my now 73-degree curve was reduced to 25 degrees with 24 screws and 2 titanium rods. I gained two extra inches of height, but I wasn’t able to dance, jump, or run for 6 full months post-op. When I was finally cleared to dance again, I immediately began training and seeing what my new spine could do. I found that even though certain movements are limited, overall my body is able to handle so much more. I went on to graduate with my degree, move to New York City, and pursue a professional performance and modeling career for the last six years. I started speaking out about my experience with scoliosis and spinal fusion story online in 2018 and was surprised to discover an entire Instagram community of people who shared my experience. It has been an honor to connect and mentor other dancers and scoliosis patients through this journey, and I’m looking forward to continuing to light a path for other scoli-dancers out there.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Definitely not! Pursuing a professional dance career is hard enough by itself, but to add in my scoliosis diagnosis was an extra challenge. Growing up, I dealt with a lot of pain, body image issues, and being self-conscious that I didn’t look like other dancers. Thankfully the surgery helped a lot with all of those things, and mental health is a constant work in progress. There’s also a lot of rejection that comes with dancing and modeling, and learning to deal with that in a healthy way can be tough. I think my career, combined with scoliosis, has really taught me resilience and holding on to my true self-worth. You can’t let anyone or anything else define your self-worth, so taking ownership for my thoughts and actions was a game changer.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional dancer, model, and stilt walker (I like to tell people I’m professionally tall 🙂 ). I work primarily in event entertainment with other dancers and circus performers. I also do promotional modeling and print modeling for various companies. I am most proud of being able to make a living as a full-time freelance artist. I’ve never been cut out for a “normal” job, and I’m so glad that my job is mainly having fun and making people smile.
How do you define success?
To me, success is being able to make a full-time living doing what I love and being a mentor to others with scoliosis. There was a time when I had to work multiple survival jobs to get by, and I felt very isolated in my journey with scoliosis. I feel accomplished that I no longer have to take any job just to survive, and I have a whole community of amazing people who share my spine journey. Success is being able to choose the projects, people, and jobs that fulfill me the most while making a living.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @bionic_ballerina
- Other: Tik Tok: @bionic_ballerina
Image Credits:
Mitch Martin Photo Kevin Harry Photography Tim Becker Photography
