Dara Pollak Team Capezio

Hi everyone! I’m Dara aka @skinnypignyc on Instagram, and I’m super excited to be a part of #TeamCapezio and contributing to the Capezio Spotlight blog!

My story is this: I was a dancer by way of tap, ballet, and jazz, and ever since I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be a dancer on Broadway. Unfortunately, when I was 17, I got hit by a car, effectively ruining any shot I had at a career in dance. My right leg was severely broken in half (I’ll spare you the details, but it wasn’t pretty) and I was bed-ridden in a wheelchair for months. During this time in recovery, I watched Food Network pretty much around the clock; something about watching people cook was very cathartic for me. Once I started to heal a little and stand upright on my own two feet, I would head into my Mom’s kitchen and cook. The blog followed a few years later, after college. Then in 2014/2015, I started to Instagram my meals (and poorly, I might add). But as I got better at food photography, it led to being noticed by various food outlets and publications. My following grew to 76K+ in under 2 years, and now here I am, creating content and working as a recipe developer for multiple brands! I also freelance for a number of publications including Bravo, Food Network, Thrillist, allrecipes, From The Grapevine, and Time Inc. 

I created this video in partnership with Capezio to share my story with you! The interview is with Tanya Becker, co-founder of Physique 57, which is a ballet-inspired workout I’ve been doing. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to tone up and get those long dancer muscles without going too high impact. With my injuries, working out has been tricky, but I find this one to be very effective!

Ultimately I’m here to tell you that you should never give up on your passions, no matter what they might be. Life doesn’t always work out the way you thought it would, but if you can take that energy into a new passion, it can be just as fulfilling if not more so. Hope you enjoy and please leave a comment – I’m here to answer any questions you may have! Looking forward to being a member of #TeamCapezio!

Dara and Tanya are wearing our Convertible Panel Jacket, Contour Workout Top, Studio Crop Pants, and Convertible Stirrups from our #CapezioActive Collection.