I’m not supposed to be here. I’m an underdog. A misfit. The shy kid. The girl who never felt good enough to make it in the dance world. Yet here I am, a professional ballet dancer freelancing in New York City with over 20 years of experience in this brutally competitive, physically & emotionally demanding, harsh career. Never had a dry-spell. Never had an injury that kept me sidelined. And now, at 42-years old (which is considered “ancient” by the ballet world’s standards), I feel like my career is far from over.

 

I say this not to brag. I say this because I know there are others like me out there. And I want to share my discoveries that took me from the shy, insecure, never-good-enough little girl to the confident artist worthy of sharing her art. Not because I'm perfect or "the best." Not because I'm a thoroughbred.

 

But because I became a rebel...a Bad Girl Ballerina. Instead of competing toe-to-toe (pun intended) with all the thoroughbreds, taking the same classes and playing by their rules, I had to train and think differently.

 

Instead of focusing on ballet, I had to focus on my body. And since I wasn’t born with a dancer body, I had to build one. I focused on making ballet work on my body versus stuffing my body into the ballet mold, which left me disappointed every time. In fact, trying to fit in with the thoroughbreds is exactly what caused me so much pain and misery in my younger years.

 

But sometimes being a rebel is the answer to fitting in.

 

Let’s face it; the majority of us dancers are not thoroughbreds. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have an incredible passion to dance, be fulfilled by your art, and have a successful career in the dance world.

 

My mission is to show you how. Confidence never comes from following along & fitting in. It comes from recognizing what you have the power to change and then taking action to transform yourself. It comes from owning the rare & exclusive path you must follow to leave your mark on the world. This is my attempt to guide you to recognize your beauty & value by building your body & mind into something you can be proud of.

 

You don’t have to be born with a dancer body to be successful. You just have to know how to make the most of the body you were born with.

 

#builtnotborn