We know sometimes dancing is tough, but you are not alone in this! All the champions have made at least 2 out of these 4 sacrifices in order to be where they are at this point in their career.

In order to succeed you have to be prepared to get through some challenges and make some sacrifices. Only then you’ll become unstoppable!

1. Lack personal time

Being a professional dancer means that you will have a lot of practice sessions with your partner, a lot of private lessons with your teacher, and going to as many competitions as you can. This means that there will be little time for yourself.

I remember that when I was a teenager my friends were going to the mall during the weekend, whilst I was going to competitions around the country. But you know what? I cherish those memories from the road trips from the bottom of my heart!

2. Spend a lot of money

As I said earlier, becoming a great dancer will require going to the best teachers, attending training camps or buying online courses. The information you are getting from them is extremely valuable and will make a difference on the dancefloor.

But be prepared to learn how to save money because usually private lessons with top teachers are quite expensive.

3. Move to other countries

Most of the top couples have moved from their home countries because their partner was from a different country, or they wanted to be closer to their teacher.

Even though it is very difficult to move to a completely new country keep in mind that this can be an exciting experience. You’ll discover new cultures, new food and learn a new language.

Also, if you’re still not convinced yet, let me just tell you some names of dancers that moved to other countries for the love of dance:

• Yulia Zagoruychenko moved from Russia to the U.S.A to partner-up with Maxim Kozhevnikov.
• Evgeny Smagin, before dancing with Polina, was living in Liverpool because that is where his teacher was.
• Khrystyna Moshenska lives in Germany because she and Marius represent Germany.
• Winson Tam and Anastasia moved to Ljubljana because their main teachers are based there. You can listen to their full story here.

And these are just a few examples! I, myself used to go every weekend to another country to have lessons with my teachers.

In the end, this is the beauty of it, even if it might seem tiring sometimes.

4. Overuse your body

Dancers are a beautiful cross between artists and athletes. And as athletes, you should expect that your body to just say “no” to you from time to time. You might suffer muscle stiffness, injuries, and sore feet.

The secret is to learn how to work out as a dancer in order to avoid injuries. You can find out more about this by reading this interview with Dmitry Klokotov. Also, I know I said earlier that you will have little time for yourself but remember it’s crucial to take a day off. You can listen to Marius Balan and Khrystyna’s schedule here and take some examples from them.

Not All Is About Sacrifices

We all know that at any level you are in your dancing career, you will have to make some sacrifices. Some bigger, some smaller.

But a dancer’s life is not always about that! It’s also being part of a community, your teachers will be like your second parents. Or think about your partnership…No one can break that bond. It’s also about having fun in training camps or on the road to competitions. You can see here more things that no one tells you about being a dancer.

What about you? Leave us in the comment section what sacrifices have you made for your passion.

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