CLEVELAND — Browns veteran left guard takes the field in front of a roaring crowd on any given Sunday, and in his 12th NFL season, he's always preparing his body for the football field.
"We have the cold tubs and the hot tubs and the dry needling. There are so many different things we do," Bitonio said.
Johan Mancebo, a ballet dancer with Cleveland Ballet, takes the stage in front of a packed theater night in and night out, also preparing his body before showtime.
"I do a lot of stretching just to avoid [injuries] and to warm up my tendons, my knees, my feet, my ankles," Mancebo said.
It may seem strange to imagine an NFL offensive lineman and a ballet dancer having much in common, but you'd be surprised.
This summer, Mancebo joined Cleveland Ballet on a tour of the Browns training facility, Cross Country Mortgage Fieldhouse, in Berea. The trip was a collaboration with University Hospitals, which is the medical partner for both the Browns and the Cleveland Ballet.
Mancebo met with Bitonio and the two got to compare how they each train for their professions, and the things that translate from football to ballet.
"We use our bodies to do all the activities. He is an athlete, I'm a ballet dancer. We have certain similarities about the effort that we do to keep our bodies strong and stable," Mancebo said.
Bitonio said the pillars of an elite athlete are the same across platforms.
"It's funny, the core tenets of strength, core strength, balance, all those things carry over to all athletic fields," Bitonio said.
Where things differ is the approach. While Bitonio trains for sturdiness and forceful power in grounding himself, feet forward, preparing for blocks, Mancebo turns his feet out, training more for flexibility and specialized strength, like for jumps and lifts.
One is preparing to lay out pancake blocks, the other gearing up to execute perfect pirouettes.
The meeting in Berea was made possible due to the partnerships with University Hospitals, which enjoyed seeing two of their very different athletes compare and contrast tools they use in their training.
"It was a great opportunity to show the diverse level of athletes that we take care of at the hospital," said UH Department of Orthopedic Surgery chair Dr. James Voos.
But on Friday night, Bitonio was on Macebo's turf. The lineman showed up at Playhouse Square, inside Connor Theatre, for Browns night at the ballet and a performance of The Nutcracker.
It was an opportunity Bitonio was eager for, never having been to a show at Playhouse Square, and ready to see Mancebo's athleticism on the stage during the production.
"I'm excited to see him perform. I've seen The Nutcracker before on TV and stuff, so I kind of have an idea of what happens. I don't remember it exactly, but I'm excited," Bitonio said.
Before Mancebo's role as the Snow King donned the stage, Bitonio kicked off the show first with a few words from Dr. Voos and himself before he ushered in the Minature Overture. Soon after, the curtain was lifted for the production.
The special performance had a few Browns-themed surprises, including an appearance from Chomps, the Browns' mascot, and one of the toy nutcracker soldiers wearing a Bitonio jersey during the battle with the Mouse King.
Bitonio left the dancing to the professionals, not seeing a future in the ballet for himself unless his strength was at play.
"I'd be like the prop mover, set up the stage. I'd be a good team player. I think my joints are a little bit past the ballet," Bitonio said, laughing.
Mancebo, who wowed the crowd with his agility, high leaps and impressive lifts of the Snow Queen during the Act 1 finale, agreed that Bitonio is better suited for football.
"I love sports, but I think every single person [is] in their category," Mancebo said with a smile.
But after learning that despite how different their sports are and still finding things in common and gaining an appreciation for what they each do to entertain—whether it's a stadium of barking fans or a theater full of bright-eyed observers—perhaps the two could see their worlds collide again, one day.
"I think next year we should do an exchange program. I think Nutcracker training camp, and we'll see if we can get both of them swapping. I think Joel would look great out there dancing," said Dr. Voos.
