“Ballet taught me how to become who I am today. It gave me a new way to express myself beyond words could and gave me an outlet to place my worries, hardships, and stress, and just let go. I was able to learn how to move my body to tell a story and learn to love the way I am. It also taught me discipline and taught me to be goal oriented. Ever since my first plié I fell in love . The constant strive to become perfect and the repetitive movement became my therapy and form of meditation. Although I love this art form and it has become a part of who I am, the rigorous hours would widel me down and sometimes I would feel like giving up. It pushed me to my limits and I put my body through the hardest things but in the end it was all worth. The feeling of being onstage, dancing my heart out in front of a crowd is something that can not be compared. The feeling of the lights hitting me, the adrenaline pumping, and the feeling of complete freedom is something that can not be described. It makes the world feel like it’s stopping. Everything is perfect.”
I moved out of the US, when I was 15.
When covid happened, I had to go home. When I was home I realised ballet had taken up my entire life, and I never had a normal life. Two weeks later I quit dance and I moved to Munich, as an Aupair.
I was an Aupair for a crazy family, four kids, great experience.
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I wanted to at least stay here, because I love Europe with all my hearth, and I applied to the University of Amsterdam. And now here I am.
My passion from Europe comes from my love for Arts and Culture, and I think America is too young to really have a culture so I really never felt connected to the States in any way. Also I’m pretty political and I just don’t stand with anything that is happening in America.
For dance Europe is much more accepting here. Apparently my body is more an “European dancer body” other than an “American body”.
- Alexa Baksay
