Performing a variation at a competition is a great opportunity as a dancer. However, being able to deal with pressure and the surprises of a competition are key to dancing your best.

I share with you a story from my Varna competition and the lifelong lessons it taught me.

I come from a family that respected the arts, but my mother didn't believe dancing could be a career. 

I decided at a relatively late age that I wanted to be a ballerina and in this lesson I explain what it took to achieve my dreams.

Classical ballet competitions are high intensity and very demanding; it is easy to become overwhelmed.

I share my experiences in these extreme situations and how I learned to cope and perform my best.

There are so many options when it comes to choosing your pointe shoes.  

I will give an overview of various brands and explain how I ended up choosing my shoes after years and years of searching.

From elastics, to ribbons, to how to customize shoes for slippery stages, I'll walk you through tips so that your shoes become not just something you wear on your feet, but extensions of your lines.

And what about your feet inside your shoes? Dancers must face demanding hours on pointe. I'll show you how I take care of my feet and shoes for a long day of rehearsals or performances and also how to make your shoes last from one amazing performance to another.

To excel as a ballerina, it is imperative to have strong pointe work. 

I will demonstrate some exercises that have been crucial to building the strength and grace that I need on stage.

I perform Aurora's wedding variation from Sleeping Beauty, a beautiful, but technically tough solo often danced in classical competitions.

Who is Aurora? And what is this solo about?

I examine my performance in detail. I break down the technical and artistic challenges it proposes and the choices I've made to refine it for myself.

I perform one of the quintessential female solos in classical ballet: Giselle's first act variation.

How does Giselle tell her story? What are the keys to this variation?

I'll review this variation and share my insights into her character as well as plenty of technical tips along the way.

Every dancer has to deal with body image issues. I myself have struggled to learn to love my body and treat it with the care that it deserves.

In this lesson, I relate my story of dealing with these obstacles as well as some practical training to help strengthen your body.

I share what I learned when joining a new company where I didn't fit in right away and how it shapes me even today.

I also discuss the main forces that drive me forward and give me the strength to be my best.