“I definitely think the fear that I put on myself is the hardest thing. What will people think? Will my teachers be proud? Will they think it’s silly? Am I giving up on my dream to be a dancer to create a dance company? I know everyone in my family and my friends are always going to be supportive no matter what I want to do. So I put the pressure on myself to make everything as perfect as it can be, to make sure it looks good for everyone else instead of taking the time to make it good for myself.
In the end, you have to do what you want to do and stop thinking about what everybody else might think. Stay absolutely true to what you want to do. It’s hard—everyone gets lost in what other people say. I’ve been very fortunate to have many mentors, but sometimes I’ve lost what I should’ve been doing in that moment because I was trying to listen and please other people. You just have to listen to your inner voice and go with your gut.”