How Dance Shaped My Drive, Discipline & Creativity.
Fifteen years of ballet taught me more than choreography — it shaped how I approach life, creativity, and challenges.
Before I ever stepped into a classroom to study marketing, design, or entrepreneurship, I spent most of my life in a dance studio. For over 15 years, I trained as a ballet dancer, dedicating countless hours to perfecting my technique, strengthening my body, and telling stories through movement.
I grew up dancing at New England Academy of Dance (NEAD), where every year was marked by our production of The Nutcracker. It became a personal tradition — a constant thread throughout my childhood and teenage years. I danced nearly every role imaginable in that production, from an excited little angel in first grade to Sugar Plum Fairy as a high school senior. Each winter, the music, costumes, and choreography felt like home.
Beyond The Nutcracker, I took on other major roles that challenged me physically and artistically. One of my proudest moments was performing as Odette in Swan Lake during my sophomore year — a dream role that tested not just my technical skills but my emotional storytelling as a dancer.
My summers were also spent dancing, often away from home. I trained at renowned summer intensives, including the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and Joffrey Chicago. In fact, during my sophomore year of high school, I was invited to leave school and move to Russia to train full-time with Bolshoi — a rare and humbling offer that reflected how seriously I took my training. Though I ultimately chose to stay home and finish high school, the experience shaped the way I view dedication, sacrifice, and long-term goals.
Starting in eighth grade, I added competitive dance to my schedule, balancing group dances and solos while traveling to competitions. I earned awards at prestigious events like YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix) and Connecticut Classic, which validated the work I put in, but also reinforced that true success comes from how you show up behind the scenes — in rehearsals, classes, and the moments no one sees.
Dance Taught Me Discipline & Resilience
Ballet is often associated with beauty and grace, but behind that elegance is an intense level of discipline, motivation, and sacrifice. Dance taught me how to set goals and work relentlessly to achieve them. It taught me how to listen to criticism without letting it break me. It taught me that you can love something deeply while still struggling through the hardest parts of it.
I also learned how to push through pain — sometimes too far. Like many dancers, I suffered injuries throughout my career. I danced a full summer intensive on what I was told was a bruised toe, only to later find out it was actually broken. I developed severe tendinitis in both ankles and chronic knee pain due to growth problems, but I kept dancing, performing, and competing. These challenges taught me not just physical resilience, but how to stay mentally strong and focused even when things felt impossible.
The Impact Beyond Dance
Although I no longer dance at the same level, the lessons I learned from ballet and competitive dance show up in everything I do today. Whether I’m working on a creative project, managing deadlines, or pursuing my career goals, the discipline, self-motivation, and dedication I developed in the studio are at the core of who I am.
Dance taught me that progress is never linear, that the hardest work is often the most rewarding, and that grace is something you build — not something you’re born with.
I carry these lessons with me every day — in the way I create, work, and move through the world.