Meet Esther Feng

What are the main life lessons you learnt through doing your full time studies?

I learned to be more independent by balancing student life and “me” time with things I love (cafe hopping and baking). I also learned to open up to those who care about me because I understand that’s how I can get help. During audition seasons, I was feeling very anxious, to the point where my mental health was affected. I made the best decision by reaching out to my supportive coaches. I was able to gain back my confidence. Having a positive mindset when things don’t work out also helped me tremendously. As dancers, we often feel the fear of rejection. But once I changed my mindset from “never” to “what I can do better next time”, I was motivated to work harder to achieve my goals. (That came with positive self talks). Lastly, I learned failure is part of success, it takes time and patience (focusing on process instead of the end result is much more rewarding).

How did you cope physically with the demands of the workload?

It was very difficult at first as it was more than I was used to. I would always feel tired and low in energy during class because of the intense training. But over time, I learnt to eat enough nutritious food and get enough rest. Since then, my energy level improved. I was able to perform better in class and on stage. After class, I made sure to relax the muscles by stretching and having massages. Each week I would also try to fit in at least two cardio sessions, like running or doing a HIIT workout to build stamina. I would also meditate or listen to music to release stress before I went to sleep. On weekends, I would go for walks or socialise.

See Esther's video here.