Stevie Nicks Thinks a Childhood Hobby is a Key Part of Her Success: ‘It’s Magic’

After almost 50 years, Stevie Nicks is still a magnetic presence on stage. She balances her powerful voice with graceful dance. She credits her grace — both onstage and off — to a hobby she practiced as a child. The Fleetwood Mac singer explained why she thinks everyone should know this skill.

Stevie Nicks’ mother signed her up for multiple activities

When Nicks was a child, her mother had some specific dreams for her daughter. She wanted Nicks to go into the performing arts, but as an actor, not a singer. According to the book Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks, Nicks’ mother signed her up for as many activities as possible. The family frequently moved because of her father’s job, and her mother wanted to keep Nicks busy. 

“Barbara had an inkling that adorable Stevie could be an actress or even a movie star and kept pushing acting lessons, although Stevie, who was naturally shy, told her mother not to,” Davis wrote.

Eventually, Nicks froze during a performance and refused to do another play. Evidently, she was drawn to a different type of art form.

She thinks that everyone should do ballet

One of the activities that Nicks did enjoy was ballet. And while she stopped classes long before she joined Fleetwood Mac, she says her training provided her with an invaluable skill.

“I think that every girl — and boy, if you so choose — should take some ballet,” she told NPR. “Because ballet gives you grace. It gives you [the ability] to work with your hands. It’s all about your hands, you know. And I can captivate with my hands.”

She added that this is an essential skill to have as a performer.

“I do it onstage. It’s like, it’s magic. And I learned that all in ballet,” she explained. “I don’t dance around that much onstage. I just do a little bit of kind of ballet, you know.”

Though it is important for her onstage, she said that ballet is useful for anyone to bring grace into their day-to-day life.

“All people should learn how to do that. Because it makes you graceful. And I think being, having grace and being graceful is very important.”

Stevie Nicks thinks that her platform boots are also a key part of her persona

Nicks also believes that one element of her wardrobe is responsible for her success on stage. She has a distinct style, but she believes that her 6-inch platform boots are what really clinches the look. When she gets ready for a concert, she waits until the last moment to put her boots on.

“I don’t put the boots on until right before I walk up to the stage,” she told Rolling Stone. “But when my little foot goes into that boot, it is like Cinderella. All of a sudden I become me.”