FEATURED DANCER 

NINA Noč

Tell us a little about yourself

I am a professional ballet dancer, soloist with Slovenian national ballet Ljubljana. I don´t take ballet as my job but rather as my lifestyle, the way I live. The most important thing for me in life is my family, without them I would never live my dreams and achieve what I have until now. In my free time I am also a big fan of long walks around the city, shopping, good coffee and healthy food. I love to cook when I have time, I find it relaxing.

How long have you been dancing for?

I have been dancing since I was four, so I can say dance is part of my life since I was a little girl. I started my dancing journey with a small dancing group in my home town. When I was 7 years old I entered the professional ballet school and this is where serious work has started.

What styles of dance do you specialize in?

I have finished 9 years of learning ballet at Conservatory for ballet in Slovenia. So I am a professional ballet dancer with Slovenian national ballet Ljubljana.

What made you want to start dancing?

As my parents are saying, before I could even walk I was already dancing every where I could, so my mum and dad decided to put me into dancing school. And today I can say that was the best decision they have made for me.

What has been your greatest accomplishment on your dance career?

It is hard to say what is my greatest accomplishment. As dancers, we have a lot of ups and downs and with every season there is something that makes us proud of ourselves. Until now I would say that dancing black and white swan at age 22 was quite a challenge and accomplishment. As well I would point out as accomplishment getting back to the ballet studio and stage after one year off due to my very bad injury which almost ended my career and of course also I can not forget my promotion to the soloist.

What has been your most memorable moment?

Dancing the Swan queen.

What has been your greatest challenge?

Being patient, positive, nice and gentle with myself at the time when I was injured and trying not to rush the things while I was getting back in shape. Serious injuries can set us back for quite long and knowing our limits while being injured is challenging for every dancer. We are used to push ourselves on daily basis and we would always go full out when working. So keeping it safe and slow is really hard and it takes a lot of nerves, trust and believing that everything will work out.  

What advice would you give to other dancers?

There is no short cut to success. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and of course patience. I am always saying that hard work pays off and it is true. So work hard and believe that you can do things. Maybe not from the beginning but eventually with work. And beside all this work we should not forget to take care of ourselves. Rest is as important as work, so take a break and enjoy life as well. Reward yourself with something, eat good food, go outside, enjoy life… and take it day by day. Life of a dancer is stressful enough by it self so it is important that we don’t make it stressful even more. Loving our body and ourselves should be the priority. 

For more from Nina

https://www.instagram.com/miss_nina_night/

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