Graduate story: Christine Vavladellis

Did your original career aim change from when you started your studies to when you graduated?

I still remember the moment I fell in love with ballet. The feeling of your soul connecting to music and making you want to “just dance”. I loved pointe shoes, tutus and the music. When I started my training at the ballet school as a Level 1 student, I honestly didn’t have a long-term vision; I just knew that I was following my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed every year of learning and found I had a great instinct for wanting to learn and teach. I loved being on stage and will be forever grateful to the school for the amazing stage opportunities I got to experience. However, I always knew deep down that my career path was going to be in the studio as a teacher. I love the process of learning and developing. It’s an honour to be the person sharing the passion for ballet and nurturing upcoming dancers.

What was one of the main life-lessons you learnt through your full-time studies?

I learnt about how important it is to be motivated and self-driven. Taking your learning into your own hands and to be proud of your achievements along the way. I remember this particular moment when I was in Level 8, I was working on plies at the barre and I felt this overwhelming sense of pride. I was proud of how deeply I understood the quality of work I was striving to achieve. I was also honoured to be learning from teachers who were so full of knowledge, experience and passion. I knew that with my own personal challenges; I was doing the best I could, and I was proud!

I’m a perfectionist in so many ways, but my greatest lesson is about acknowledging where I was at, accepting what I was working on, and being kind to myself. I love reflecting on my every day activities in this way.