You left home to come to PNB before you graduated from high school. Could you describe the difficult process of how you incorporated your studies with being a professional division student?

    I was 17 when I moved to Seattle to train in the professional division program at PNB. It was my senior year of high school, and I still had a few credits that I had to get in order to graduate. I was able to do correspondence classes to finish those few classes and still graduate on time. I used to work on my classes at night after the ballet day was over and on the weekends.

What has been your hardest feat as a dancer to overcome?

    One of the hardest things for me to deal with as a dancer has been my strength. I have a naturally flexible body, and so I was always pretty weak when I was younger. It took a serious lower back injury (an inflamed disc) to help me get past a lot of my weaknesses. It was a blessing in disguise. I was forced to do a lot of strengthening exercises as part of my physical therapy. These exercises helped me progress greatly as a dancer, and I still do a lot of training outside the studio.

You have hyper-extended legs and very arched feet. Was it hard for you to build strength when you were younger? What advice could you give young students who have a similar build to you?

    Strength was always an issue for me. My advice to younger students is to find ways to cross-train outside of ballet. Pilates, going to the gym, and other conditioning exercises are all things that can really help improve your dancing.

Do you do any extra curricular activities to strengthen your body and ballet technique?

    When I was a PD, I did a lot of Pilates. Now, I have a lot of exercises from a personal trainer that help me build strength all over my body. I also like to do the elliptical at the gym for cardiovascular strength. It helps with endurance while dancing.

What has been your favorite role/ballet you have performed? What is one inspirational moment that has helped you become the dancer you are today?

    I would say that Agon pas de deux and Red Angels have been a couple of my favorite roles to dance.

    The first time I saw PNB perform, I was blown away. I remember walking away from the show and thinking that I wanted to be a part of that company. I feel very fortunate to have been able to do that.

What advice could you give young students about being a professional dancer that you wished you had at their age?

    Always believe in yourself. It’s really hard when there are such a limited number of positions in ballet companies and the competition is so fierce, but it is really important to remember your own self-worth.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

    I am a huge NBA basketball fan. Watching games is one of my favorite things to do outside of work. The games are so entertaining and the level of athleticism is sometimes staggering and can be really inspiring.