Dreya Weber is an American actress, producer, director, and aerialist. She has worked as an aerialist for entertainers including Madonna and Pink, for whom she choreographed several aerial acts including the performance of Pink at the 2010 Grammy Awards. She toured with Cher during her Living Proof farewell tour and choreographed the performances by aerialists.
She produced and starred in The Gymnast (2006) which took home 28 festival awards, including Best Feature at Outfest, Newfest and Frameline, and demonstrated her aerialist skills. She also produced and starred in A Marine Story about the US Military policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
During her teenage years, Weber competed with the Mexican National Hurdling Team, ranking within the top ten. She returned from Mexico to attend Hunter College in New York City. She performed aerial silk at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She along with Tony Horton has featured in all three of his P90X home workout series. At Outfest she won Outstanding Actress in a Feature, 2010.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Dreya Weber, an American actress, producer, director, and aerialist, who talks about her workout, diet, beauty secrets and success story.
Namita Nayyar:
You wear multiple hats of an actress, producer, choreographer and aerialist. If I am not wrong you even went on to perform aerial silk at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. How would you define your journey in the world of entertainment?
Dreya Weber:
I determined that I wanted to be an actor when I was ten years old. I was a voracious reader but not much of a talker, and the idea of speaking words written by others was very compelling. My mother was a singer and actress and her response was “let’s go to the agency and see if they want to send you out”. It was all very matter of fact, I understood that if I wanted to be a professional, it meant work. Through my teens I did theater, gymnastics, ballet, music and track and field. I am one of six children and my family didn’t have much in the way of financial support, but my mother imparted a determination in me to find a creative way through the costs. For example, I demonstrated beginner classes in ballet so that I could take other levels for free. I put myself through college coaching gymnastics. That combination of experience gave me the skills I needed to teach pop stars and dancers how do aerial acrobatics. My diverse background provided the platform from which I was able to take advantage of the opportunities that showed up along the way. Now my work bounces around between acting, choreographing, aerial performance, singing and producing.
Namita Nayyar:
What factors were instrumental towards you taking up aerial acrobatics?
Dreya Weber:
My dance and gymnastic training were most instrumental in the physical foundation, but my training as an actor was key in my desire to explore narrative in the air. I see each song as a self-contained story with a beginning, middle and end. In that light there are so many questions to ask, “What is the story I want to tell?”, “what does the apparatus represent?” What is the performers relationship to the apparatus?”, “Is there conflict?”, “Is there resolution?”…the exploration is endless and very very fun.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
Every sport has a role model in our eyes & soul. Can you name the ones that inspired you?
Dreya Weber:
My brother and I loved watching the Olympics then trying to teach ourselves what we had seen. There was lots of crashing and burning in my childhood. Our endless attempts at backhand springs mostly ended in face plants. We dove headfirst down the basement stairs, sometimes successfully landing on a strategically placed twin mattress. If, in those days, there had been opportunities to make viral videos, the catastrophes resulting from our neighborhood cartwheel race competitions would have been prize winners. The Russian gymnastic champions of my childhood were inspiring and bewildering, their perfection and discipline seemed so alien. When I was about twelve, I remember going to Chicago to see the Russian Olympic gymnastics champions. After the exhibition, my friends and I watched them get herded onto a bus with dark tinted windows; no family, no friends, just coaches and gymnasts. Even then, I recognized the oppressive nature of that system and felt grateful that I wasn’t a part of it.
Namita Nayyar:
Physical fitness is essential in every sport. Aerial routines on stage require incredible core and upper body strength. Share your fitness routine essential to become a good aerialist? Challenges one might come across initially?
Dreya Weber:
I am fortunate enough to be able to make a series of choices each day. Those choices have a bearing on my fitness. What do I choose to put in my belly? Can I walk or ride a bike to run errands? Take the stairs rather than the elevator? Meet my friends for a walk in the park? A hike? Workout with friends? The trick is to look at activities as opportunities to support fitness.
Shoulder and arm strength is the essential basic for aerial acrobatics. Aerial arts become much more fun once a base level of conditioning is achieved. This does take time to develop. I am a co-founder of a training system, Cirque-It Fitness that is an efficient, economical program for building upper body and core strength. I have set my house up so that there are lots of opportunities to play in the air. Chin-up bars in doorways, eyebolts in rafters and an aerial rig in back yard.
Namita Nayyar:
While exercise is critical because you rely on your body for your income, you also need to be mindful about your diet. Diet you like to stick with for optimum performance? Five favorite foods you enjoy anytime?
Dreya Weber:
I love to toss vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 550 degrees for twenty minutes or so. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes and beets are all delicious this way. I also love steamed Swiss chard with balsamic vinegar and lemon. I clean and prepare a bunch of carrots and celery at a time so that I have quick snacks on hand; I eat with hummus and Tajin. Even though I enjoy desserts, cheese and bread I am pretty selective about eating them and portion control is definitely the trick. I also love eating fresh seasonal fruit.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you handle the injury and pain that are a part of any sport? Recovery tips that have helped?
Dreya Weber:
I think it’s very important to think of injuries as an opportunity. The recovery time can be used to focus on other interests. When I tore my Achilles I knew that the downtime could be up to six months, so I immediately started planning non-physical projects I didn’t usually have time for; writing I had put off, books I hoped to read. It was wonderful to experience a different life while I was rehabilitating. I am a firm believer that most important ingredient to healing is a positive attitude.
Namita Nayyar:
What have you learned from working with stars like Pink, Madonna and Cher?
Dreya Weber:
Cher is an extremely generous person and working with her is wonderful. Her fans are so passionate in their love and they spread that adoration to all her performers. I choreographed the aerials and danced for her Farewell tour, her Caesar’s Palace run, and choreographed aerials for Cher Classic in Vegas and her current Here We Go Again tour. Pink applies her ferociousness to everything she does, so when I was approached about teaching her aerials I quickly learned that the sky was the limit with her. The hard work that it takes to succeed in the entertainment industry is no joke. I have learned is that no one gets off easy, there are certainly benefits to success, but every artist has to do the work of constantly re-committing to the discipline it takes to make success. Women in the entertainment industry have the additional burden of a microscopic focus on aging. The fight to protect the spirit from the cruelty especially from the faceless, nameless internet is rough. I think that success in life can be measured in the joy of doing what we love as we get older.
Namita Nayyar:
Stress-busting tips after a long day at work?
Dreya Weber:
A long walk at the end of the day is a great stress reliever. Spending time with loved ones or cooking with friends is pretty great and as a total wind down, I love gardening as a relaxer.
Namita Nayyar:
What is your skincare and hair care routine?
Dreya Weber:
My skincare routine is my diet eating well and hanging upside down. All the blood rising to the head most is great for the skin.
I have to say that hair care is the thing I spend the least time on. My hair is pretty healthy so I am fortunate in that regard, but I do love Aveda shampoo and conditioners.
Namita Nayyar:
You produced and starred in The Gymnast (film) (2006) which took
home 28 festival awards, including Best Feature at Outfest, Newfest and Frameline, and demonstrated your aerial skills. How did the idea come about? Looking back share a memory that has stayed on with you and you would like to share with upcoming stars?
Dreya Weber:
I love filmmaking. I have produced three films; The Gymnast (2007), A Marine Story (2010) and recently, The Aerialist (2019). Acting, Producing, Choreographing, Stunt Co-ordination a film is a lot like running back to back Marathons 20 days in a row. It is a grueling process that takes endurance and stubborn determination but I find it very gratifying. This year, I produced The Aerialist a follow up to The Gymnast. It follows Jane Hawkins, the character that I played in The Gymnast, fifteen years later. We are currently in post-production, and the project should be finished this fall. Look for The Aerialist on Amazon Prime and follow our Facebook page and #theaerialistmovie on Instagram.
Creative projects are my favorite path to friendships, pulling toward a common goal is a very bonding experience.
One of the most gratifying things I have experienced was a few years after The Gymnast was released. I met a young man who told me that his mother had left his family for relationship with a woman when he was a child, and seeing The Gymnast made her see her as a human being he could sympathize with after seeing the film.
Namita Nayyar:
Your view on Women Fitness and message for our viewers?
Dreya Weber:
Fitness is its own best reward. A strong body is a wonderful asset for facing challenges we cannot anticipate. And above all can support us in the opportunity to help others – being a shoulder for someone who can’t walk well, lifting an elderly person out of a wheelchair onto a bed, assisting a friend in a move, carrying groceries for someone who is unable…the list goes on and on. Fitness is a wonderful gift with which to help others.
Dreya Weber Social Media Presence
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness