When she was not speaking up in one of her health science labs, Riolama Lorenz was expressing herself on stage. “It’s very mathematical,” Lorenzo says, drawing parallels between her studies and her experience as a principal dancer for the Pennsylvania Ballet. “It’s all about numbers and the shapes we do,” she says. Originally from Havana, Cuba, Lorenzo came to the United States in 1980 on the Mariel Boat Lift. And though she recently retired from the ballet, Lorenz’s life remains one of perpetual motion—whether chasing after her young children or planning for the next stage in her career. “I would love to someday work with dancers or athletes in physical therapy,” she says.
Photo: Paul Kolnik; Pennsylvania Ballet's Riolama Lorenzo and Meredith Rainey in Le Travail.