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From Dancing In The Lion King On Broadway To Starting A Nonprofit, Paige Fraser Hasn’t Let Scoliosis – Or The Pandemic


Each time Paige Fraser stepped out onto the stage, she was living her dream.

The brightness of the lights. The stillness of the crowd. The out-of-body experience enveloped her every time. She was immersed in another country— another life. She became a lion, a zebra— even a tree. The 29-year-old was dancing on Broadway in The Lion King. 

Fraser, a professional dancer, had tried out for the part for six years to no avail. Until finally, eight months after an audition in 2019, she got the call back she was waiting for. She had been cast in the production’s ensemble, dancing her way through the play.

For six months, she was focused and unstoppable. She was finally on Broadway. 

And then the world shut down because of the spread of Covid-19.

“It’s been really, really sad to see images of 42nd street look so dark. Because what is life without art or live theater?” Fraser asked. 

As quickly as she’d been thrust into the spotlight, the light, had dimmed. After the pandemic began, Fraser found herself cooped up in her Chicago apartment, hoping the news of the rapid spread of the virus wasn’t nearly as bad as it seemed. 

For Fraser, it wasn’t just about being on Broadway. She was also concerned about keeping her body healthy, with businesses and offices shutting down. And it had nothing to do with staying physically fit. 

Fraser has scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. She undergoes special therapy to ensure it doesn’t get worse, and to prevent potential breathing problems. She must receive treatment each week, and with the virus spreading, Fraser wasn’t sure what was going to happen. 

But she had faced adversity before — including when she was first diagnosed with the condition when she was a freshman in college. 

Fraser, originally from the Bronx, New York, has danced since she began walking. She was a ballet dancer, even being cast by her teacher as Clara in The Nutcracker at 10 years old. 

When it was time to enter high school, Fraser’s mother discovered Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS). Fraser applied and was accepted. 

“I was around all types of people. I was around theater majors and singers and tech designers. It was just such a cool high school experience,” Fraser said. “And then when we would take the bus and go to The Alvin Ailey School and take dance classes in the evening, it was just the perfect combination. And I think that just inspired and motivated me to really go after it.”

“I just fell in love with Ailey because the company, the main company, it’s mainly African American dancers. So I went from being at a ballet studio, where I was a minority, to then being at Ailey, where more dancers looked like me.”

Life was falling into place for Fraser until she got the news about her scoliosis. 

Fraser had attended Catholic school up until this point. She says her previous schools never conducted the routine scoliosis check that many elementary and middle schools do. She also had no “symptoms” or uncomfort because of her spine curvature. So when she went for a doctor’s visit her freshman year and asked to check her spine, she didn’t think much of it. 

The doctor almost immediately informed her, her spine is crooked.

“It was scary to see my spine on an X-ray. It was scary to hear the surgeon say, ‘Well, people with scoliosis could have breathing problems, and if you get the surgery, you won’t be able to bend down as you can now,’ because they’re putting metal rods, corrective rods in your back and screws.”

“In terms of the articulation that dancers have in their spine, that would have been limited.”

Fraser and her family decided against surgery. Instead, she started spending multiple days a week at the chiropractor, and she was fitted for two back braces, one which she wore to school and one that she would wear when sleeping. 

At first, she was scared to tell her peers and teachers. She could hide the brace under large sweatshirts. But once she came out about her condition, she says, it was freeing.

“The director of the dance department in high school, she actually had severe scoliosis. I really think that was a blessing from God because I saw someone in the front of the room with a severe curvature,” Fraser said. “She was very, very helpful as I was re-figuring out my body.”

“The only time I felt free was when I was dancing.”

For Fraser, scoliosis creates a different center of gravity than that of her straight-spined counterparts. 

“Someone with a straight spine may be able to do five or six turns, and then with me, I can only do two or three,” she said. “With an S-shaped spine, it’s also slightly rotated, so it’s a three-dimensional curvature. So if you’re asking me to do something that you’re asking a normal-aligned body to do, my center of alignment is not the same. It’s scientifically not possible.”

“There’s just a lot of adjustments that I have to make to accomplish the same position that someone else can do with their eyes closed.”

That wasn’t enough to stop Fraser, who continued to excel at her craft. Through therapy, she has also been able to stabilize her spine. Her only symptom is occasional stiffness, which she says improves through movement. It’s the reason she is in physical therapy and does yoga, and pilates for scoliosis, among other techniques.

Fraser went to college at Fordham University, where she continued to study dance at The Ailey School, eventually being accepted to Ailey II, her dream dance company. Through Ailey II, Fraser toured all over the world. 

At the end of college and the dance company, she auditioned to continue to dance at Ailey II professionally. 

“I didn’t get it, and that was one of the hardest moments of my life,” Fraser said. 

But she continued, taking summer intensive dance courses and sending out her material. She finally landed with Visceral Dance Center in Chicago during their inception year, where she’s been dancing for seven years. 

In 2016, Fraser won a Princess Grace Award, a prestigious dance award named after Princess Grace Kelly. In 2017, she was named one of Dance Magazine’s “top 25 dancers to watch.” 

It’s been an exciting journey for Fraser, who has danced with Beyonce on a video project, worked with Chanel Iman, and even danced on episodes of Fox’s hit show Empire. She was also a featured dancer on an Intel commercial that played during the Superbowl. 

But nothing topped finally getting that call to be a dancer on The Lion King.

Since the production came to a halt, Fraser has focused on keeping herself, and specifically her spine, healthy. She enrolled in graduate school to get her master’s, and has also been focusing on a project she began in 2017, one that highlights a cause near and dear to her heart. 

Fraser co-founded The Paige Fraser Foundation with her aunt to create a safe space for dancers with and without disabilities. When the foundation began, they offered free programming surrounding dance and wellness. Since the pandemic, they’ve expanded to offer classes in theater, music, and visual arts. They also pivoted and now offer everything virtually. Fraser says her goal is to open a performing art and wellness center in the Bronx, where she grew up. 

While Fraser continues to dance in her living room to pass the time and stay on point, she looks on, hopeful that Broadway will be back soon. But in the meantime, she’s thankful for the other projects she’s been able to pursue.

“I miss being on stage,” she said. “But the silver lining in this pandemic has been connecting with people I normally wouldn’t.”



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