I've enjoyed living a fairytale reality in my head believing that my ambitions and dreams have always been within my reach pretty much my entire life. It all started by graduating early from high school, flying to Vegas, and booking a job dancing and singing on cruise ships.
Might sound easy now but at 17, this was all very grown up and quite scary! I was ecstatic to know that I booked the job since I was auditioning out of about 250 girls.
I lived on a ship performing 6-10 times a week for six to nine months on two different ships, for two separate contracts. One toured the Mediterranean and the other the Caribbean.
I soon realised that although it was a dream come true... cruise ships were no longer fulfilling my dancing dreams, mostly due to sea sickness. After i finished my second contract and endured months of physical therapy for injuries sustained from dancing on a moving ship, I drove 36 hours from my hometown in Missouri to live and work in Los Angeles.
My father thought I was nuts. He was probably right. I didn't know anyone there, I had no place to stay, I hadn't ever even visited. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and my bull-headedness, or fairytale attitude as I'd like to call it, wouldn't allow his warnings to change my mind. There was a sense of destiny that lived in my heart. My feelings could not be swayed and nobody was going to tell me what I couldn't do, and that was that, I was off. This must have been so frustrating for my parents! Luckily it all worked out!
What has inspired me the most in my life as a dancer has always been the Olympics. I had dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast from quite early on. I begged my parents for gymnastic classes for years. Once I started gymnastics I was back begging my parents for more classes in other styles of dance and then again begging to compete in the dance troupe. I now know just how fortunate I was to have parents who believed in me enough to give me the chance to explore my potential and supported me the best way they knew how.
Once I started training in other styles of dance my next big inspiration was ice skating! I wanted to dance as graceful as Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana Baiul did on ice during the Winter Olympics of 1994. My favorite ice dancer was Oksana Baiul. I could see such emotion through her movement. I believed her ice dancing transcended stories and as a little girl I was transfixed!
Now I find myself flying to Innsbruck, Austria to film a TV show competing in winter sports.
Almost a full circle of sorts... just without the dancing. Unless I can dance on skis, which would be incredibly difficult! But even having the opportunity to compete with a five-time Olympic Gold Medallist is pretty awesome.
Wish me luck! Might need it for this one ;)
For more information on the show click here.
My New Year's Resolutions:
1. Do something towards your creative goals every day
2. Sustain a healthy diet and fitness focused mind
3. Perform as much as possible
4. Delegate and keep things simple (aka...stop being a control freak)
5. Make enjoyment the priority of every day
6. Explore more Vegetarian, Kosher, and Vegan dishes
7. Book a trip to visit my family in Missouri
"Share your honesty with instinct and conviction to create, understand, and be a balanced you."