Many people love reminiscing about how nice their childhood was, about how easy life was when they were kids, and well, I guess I'm not one of those. Since a very young age, I started my training to become a professional ballet dancer, and this has shaped me into a bullet biting high achiever from a very early age.
Becoming a ballerina sounds like a dream come true for many girls, but as amazing as it sounds, my journey was nothing close to easy.
Starting my ballet education in the post-Soviet Moldovan national ballet school, it meant that I was getting one of the best ballet educations in the world, but as you can imagine, it came with very intense mental and physical pressure. Due to this pressure and lack of the right support, my young mind developed some fairly unhealthy coping mechanisms.
After moving countries and schools, I was fortunate to graduate from the Munich Ballet Academy, which broadened my knowledge and skill in dance. I was very hungry for success and ready to take the next step in becoming a professional. Here I found myself stuck in a reality that I'm sure many dancers can relate to, I had to face the fact that I basically gave up my life for this dream, yet I couldn’t find a job. Auditioning was a nightmare period for me.
I cannot tell you how many times I was ready to give up, after hearing repeatedly "No thank you". After attending 30 auditions I just stoped counting. On one hand, the rejections were reinforcing my insecurities but on the other hand, they were making me even hungrier for it. This was truly a challenging chapter in my young life but here I am today, living my dream, dancing with one of the top companies in Europe, The Dutch National Ballet in the incredible city of Amsterdam, and I have to admit that sometimes I still pinch myself.
Like many other performers, unfortunately, I had very little guidance and help in dealing with the mental and emotional struggles of this unique profession. If only there were someone that could’ve helped me see my true potential and guided me to avoid the self-destructive behavior I developed. After 13 years on a professional stage, I can honestly say that if I had a life coach and a mentor I would’ve been further in my career, more fulfilled and healthy. Today I dance and feel differently thanks to the power of coaching that changed my life and my career really took off.
My purpose as a coach is to empower dancers to take charge of their career and life and grow into fearless artists, so let us get started and make your dreams come true in the most sustainable way.
More posts on learnings from personal experiences as an artist coming soon.
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