My story is about:
«Why Authentic Ballet became a definition of a lifestyle and a direction in life I felt I had to choose to stay true to my passions.»
It's a story I created of a lifestyle close to the art of ballet and dancing and an act of self-care to inspire others.
1. «BEAUTY BEGINS THE MOMENT YOU DECIDE TO BE YOURSELF» Coco Chanel
I heard this quote for the first time at the performance «Coco Chanel» by Jo Strømgren and Ulrike Quade at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo, which I loved. For me, the Oslo Opera House is one of the best places in the world.
With the shape of a glacier, the building always fills me with motivation, new energy, and love because it's a home for one of the biggest passions in my life, ballet and dancing.
Outside, on the roof of the Opera House, I feel I can breathe when I look at the Oslofjord at a distance. From the inside, when I watch a performance, I feel like I'm a part of this beautiful, art-sensitive community, allowing myself to enjoy it as a natural part of my rhythm in life.
Back to this puppet theatre, «Coco Chanel.»
It made a big impression on me with its powerful expressions of dancing movement, elements of fashion on stage, and the story of Coco's life.
Her enormous passion for change in clothing for women means to be a true passion for a shift towards being authentic. The quote: «Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself» is about what I always dreamed of teaching myself. Now, my biggest wish is to help other women struggling to accept their passions, especially those who are artistic and love ballet and those in a professional career. I experienced that sometimes it is (for people in general) challenging to choose what they want in life.
They sometimes can't define it and take some risks to stay closer to their needs.
My impression and experience are that we often compromise, not allowing ourselves to develop interests and hobbies into something more significant in our lives.
The Authentic Ballet Blog is a way for me to promote ballet and dance as a choice for a lifestyle. I will be writing about the values, knowledge, and qualities of dance.
My most significant intention is to support my passion for dance, regardless of age and life experiences.
2. What does Coco's quote mean today, and why has it been challenging to be "ballet-authentic" for me before?
Today, «deciding to be me» means to live as close as possible to the art of ballet and dance and be able to stand up and say: I love working in the world connected to dance!
When I feel like it is at home, I always dance.
When I feel like moving like a ballerina- I move like a ballerina.
When I'm mood to wear a beautiful dress- I wear it and enjoy its glamour!
When I feel like my body and mind need to take a ballet class, I won't hesitate to put on a pair of slippers and a leotard, warm-up, stretch and prepare to stand at the ballet barre. This activity makes me feel so grounded, solid, and expressive at the same time.
I also feel that although my technique or abilities are not always as these of professionals, I won't let that stop me from trying to do my best! At the same time, through taking ballet classes, I'm improving my physical experience of dance movement, which I later use as a physiotherapist for dancers, as this is my profession. I found this practice of taking ballet classes essential for a better understanding of the needs that professional dancers and clients have when they ask for a piece of advice!
3. Authentic Ballet is a part of my Nordic journey.
I love Norway, it's my home, and I love taking ballet classes in Norway. However, many people would say that we don't have much dance discipline, and some even claim that the dance and ballet levels in Norway aren't high. I must say, I very much appreciate the Norwegian style and atmosphere of ballet classes here.
I was born in Poland, and I came to Norway at 22, with quite a lot of ballet training experience. The Vaganova style technique, plenty of discipline and determination, and a genuine passion for ballet and dance were in my luggage. In the side pockets of my bags, I had with me: insecurity, negative thoughts about myself, symptoms of eating disorders, performance anxiety, physical injuries, feelings of guilt, wishing my life being filled more with dance, and much more. The side pockets felt sometimes heavier as the main luggage I had to carry with me, wherever I went. I spent years exploring these feelings and symptoms of what I call today: side effects of not deciding to be myself, not being authentic, and constantly fighting with unreal expectations of the outside- world—fighting against the authentic me. The authentic me wanted to dance ballet.
These struggles through the years first resulted in burnout, and, believe it or not, I lost my dance passion.
During this period, I still didn't want to give up. I sought compromises and options for a satisfying life without dancing through the «normal education and work.» Today, I'm grateful I did that because now I have a lot of varied experience I can offer to others. And finally, step-by-step, I found the way back to the core of my life, the art of dance, with all its possible aspects.
4. Now, I feel closer to the magical world of dance than ever before.
I'm older now, and I don't have the same technique and the same kind of discipline I had before. Maybe this is what the balance is! The main thing is that I have decided to be myself, which allows me to express my artistic and creative soul through daily ballet dancing on my premises. It became my way of balancing stress, my workout, and my way of taking care of the qualities of how I move my body. It also became my way of expressing ideas and feelings and increasing my self-confidence and my body image. Moreover, I'm dancing ballet because I wish to improve my knowledge about the fantastic resources of the body and teach it to other dance enthusiasts.
5. This Authentic Ballet story is very personal but probably a journey many other people have experienced.
The focus is how to create a balance in life, staying true to your passions, and prioritize the time spent on keeping in contact with dancing. Reading is also a part of it, so I hope the articles in my blog will inspire you to take care of your interest in dance. For me, it's a kind of therapy, and I can't live without it.
I hope you can stay with me and enjoy my posts about ballet and dance in general with these final words. It would be a pleasure to welcome you and include you in my world of Authentic Ballet!
Remember, it's never too late to take care of your ballet passion and «decide to be yourself.»
With all the Love and Passion for Dance,
I wish you all the best,
Ewa Sivertsen
«Why Authentic Ballet became a definition of a lifestyle and a direction in life I felt I had to choose to stay true to my passions.»
It's a story I created of a lifestyle close to the art of ballet and dancing and an act of self-care to inspire others.
1. «BEAUTY BEGINS THE MOMENT YOU DECIDE TO BE YOURSELF» Coco Chanel
I heard this quote for the first time at the performance «Coco Chanel» by Jo Strømgren and Ulrike Quade at the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo, which I loved. For me, the Oslo Opera House is one of the best places in the world.
With the shape of a glacier, the building always fills me with motivation, new energy, and love because it's a home for one of the biggest passions in my life, ballet and dancing.
Outside, on the roof of the Opera House, I feel I can breathe when I look at the Oslofjord at a distance. From the inside, when I watch a performance, I feel like I'm a part of this beautiful, art-sensitive community, allowing myself to enjoy it as a natural part of my rhythm in life.
Back to this puppet theatre, «Coco Chanel.»
It made a big impression on me with its powerful expressions of dancing movement, elements of fashion on stage, and the story of Coco's life.
Her enormous passion for change in clothing for women means to be a true passion for a shift towards being authentic. The quote: «Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself» is about what I always dreamed of teaching myself. Now, my biggest wish is to help other women struggling to accept their passions, especially those who are artistic and love ballet and those in a professional career. I experienced that sometimes it is (for people in general) challenging to choose what they want in life.
They sometimes can't define it and take some risks to stay closer to their needs.
My impression and experience are that we often compromise, not allowing ourselves to develop interests and hobbies into something more significant in our lives.
The Authentic Ballet Blog is a way for me to promote ballet and dance as a choice for a lifestyle. I will be writing about the values, knowledge, and qualities of dance.
My most significant intention is to support my passion for dance, regardless of age and life experiences.
2. What does Coco's quote mean today, and why has it been challenging to be "ballet-authentic" for me before?
Today, «deciding to be me» means to live as close as possible to the art of ballet and dance and be able to stand up and say: I love working in the world connected to dance!
When I feel like it is at home, I always dance.
When I feel like moving like a ballerina- I move like a ballerina.
When I'm mood to wear a beautiful dress- I wear it and enjoy its glamour!
When I feel like my body and mind need to take a ballet class, I won't hesitate to put on a pair of slippers and a leotard, warm-up, stretch and prepare to stand at the ballet barre. This activity makes me feel so grounded, solid, and expressive at the same time.
I also feel that although my technique or abilities are not always as these of professionals, I won't let that stop me from trying to do my best! At the same time, through taking ballet classes, I'm improving my physical experience of dance movement, which I later use as a physiotherapist for dancers, as this is my profession. I found this practice of taking ballet classes essential for a better understanding of the needs that professional dancers and clients have when they ask for a piece of advice!
3. Authentic Ballet is a part of my Nordic journey.
I love Norway, it's my home, and I love taking ballet classes in Norway. However, many people would say that we don't have much dance discipline, and some even claim that the dance and ballet levels in Norway aren't high. I must say, I very much appreciate the Norwegian style and atmosphere of ballet classes here.
I was born in Poland, and I came to Norway at 22, with quite a lot of ballet training experience. The Vaganova style technique, plenty of discipline and determination, and a genuine passion for ballet and dance were in my luggage. In the side pockets of my bags, I had with me: insecurity, negative thoughts about myself, symptoms of eating disorders, performance anxiety, physical injuries, feelings of guilt, wishing my life being filled more with dance, and much more. The side pockets felt sometimes heavier as the main luggage I had to carry with me, wherever I went. I spent years exploring these feelings and symptoms of what I call today: side effects of not deciding to be myself, not being authentic, and constantly fighting with unreal expectations of the outside- world—fighting against the authentic me. The authentic me wanted to dance ballet.
These struggles through the years first resulted in burnout, and, believe it or not, I lost my dance passion.
During this period, I still didn't want to give up. I sought compromises and options for a satisfying life without dancing through the «normal education and work.» Today, I'm grateful I did that because now I have a lot of varied experience I can offer to others. And finally, step-by-step, I found the way back to the core of my life, the art of dance, with all its possible aspects.
4. Now, I feel closer to the magical world of dance than ever before.
I'm older now, and I don't have the same technique and the same kind of discipline I had before. Maybe this is what the balance is! The main thing is that I have decided to be myself, which allows me to express my artistic and creative soul through daily ballet dancing on my premises. It became my way of balancing stress, my workout, and my way of taking care of the qualities of how I move my body. It also became my way of expressing ideas and feelings and increasing my self-confidence and my body image. Moreover, I'm dancing ballet because I wish to improve my knowledge about the fantastic resources of the body and teach it to other dance enthusiasts.
5. This Authentic Ballet story is very personal but probably a journey many other people have experienced.
The focus is how to create a balance in life, staying true to your passions, and prioritize the time spent on keeping in contact with dancing. Reading is also a part of it, so I hope the articles in my blog will inspire you to take care of your interest in dance. For me, it's a kind of therapy, and I can't live without it.
I hope you can stay with me and enjoy my posts about ballet and dance in general with these final words. It would be a pleasure to welcome you and include you in my world of Authentic Ballet!
Remember, it's never too late to take care of your ballet passion and «decide to be yourself.»
With all the Love and Passion for Dance,
I wish you all the best,
Ewa Sivertsen
