Gia Kourlas Interviews Janie Taylor

For TimeOut. A wonderful interview, in which Taylor speaks of what drives her to dance, as well as the illness that has made dancing so difficult in the past few years. She also talks about how Sébastien Marcovici proposed to her, backstage, in her Liebeslieder Walzer costume—who wouldn’t want to be proposed to in such a costume!

“We were dancing Liebeslieder [Walzer], and we both love that ballet. It was funny because he was nervous. I actually had strained my calf two days before and I didn’t know if I was going to do the show, but I was doing it and I remember right before we started—we all get into waltzing position while the curtain is down—he was like, “I feel like I’m going to forget all the steps!” I was like, “What are you talking about? I’m the one who can barely walk!” [Laughs] His parents were in town, and he had told me before the ballet, “Don’t get out of your costume, just come to the door, my parents are going to come back.” He was running around backstage, and he kept going, “Janie, come over here!” I was like, “I’m talking to somebody—what is wrong with you?” He pulled me over and my family was there, too. He had told them. And then he just started proposing and I think I was like, “What?” But it was exciting. He had been planning it for six months. He wanted me to be wearing the costume. [Laughs] We love those costumes. “