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If you asked me what the hardest physical challenge has been in my life, my answer would surprisingly not be the challenges of living with type one, insulin dependent diabetes. Instead I have to say it has been chronic insomnia. It became so bad at one point even a sleeping pill would not give me […]

Realgoodwords is a weekly radio program hosted by Heidi Holtan on KAXE – Northern Community Radio in Minnesota, a National Public Radio affiliate. To hear Zippora’s interview click here.

As a soloist for the New York City Ballet, I feel the immediate effects of my blood sugar levels. The connection dancers feel with their bodies is vital to the success of a performance. If my blood sugar was unbalanced, I would not be completely in tune with my body and would risk the performance. […]

10 Tips To Connect With Your Body When Diagnosed With Illness I am a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet, and presently a public speaker, movement motivator, ballet teacher, and repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust. When I was diagnosed with diabetes in my third year in the company, I thought my career […]

At age 15, I left my home in Los Angeles and moved to New York City to study at the School of American Ballet, the official School of the New York City Ballet. By age 18, I was a full member of the famed NYC Ballet, rehearsing all day and performing every night. In just […]

A New York City Ballet soloist describes her successful fight to keep diabetes from destroying her artistry and her career. I became an apprentice at New York City Ballet in the fall of 1983, shortly after the death of George Balanchine. By the following year I was a member of the corps de ballet. To […]

Many little girls dream of someday becoming professional ballerinas, dancing with the grace of a swan, in the spotlight before thousands. Ballerina Zippora Karz, 35, is proof that diabetes doesn’t stop dreams and goals from being reached. “If you have a love for something, diabetes will not stop you,” she said. “You need to put […]

Dancing was in my family. My grandmother danced a solo act in Vaudeville and my mother folk-danced. So, when my mother heard about an amazing ballet teacher in the San Fernando Valley near our home, she suggested we try it and I agreed to try ballet lessons. My teacher Sheila understood the technical as well […]

I will always remember my first encounter with Zippora Karz. It was a breathtaking photograph of the beautiful ballerina. She was poised in mid-air in a classic dance expression realized from years of formal training with the New York City Ballet. Ever since, I had imagined Zippora as larger than life. And that she is, […]