We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julia Kuznietsova . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julia below.
Julia , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Alexey and I were both 10 years old when we started dancing professionally and were trained in elite Vaganova ballet method. From there, dancing became a huge part of our lives. Alexey danced for 10 years in the Ukraine, while I danced in Russia, also for 10 years. We didn’t actually meet and begin dancing together until we met at a professional company in Croatia in 2011, where we danced together. With such similar childhood backgrounds, we quickly became good friends, fell in love, and married. In 2012, we decided to relocate to America, for greater opportunities. Once here, we joined a professional ballet company where we danced for 10 more years.
Once in Florida, we made time for family and had two children. The family dynamic changed our whole life in a bittersweet way. On the one hand, our daughters were the most amazing and beautiful gift! On the other, becoming parents shifted our attention and time away from dancing professionally, to raising the girls. Furthermore, professional dancers only have a limited amount of time to perform physically; dancers have to know the right time to stop dancing. This was the time.
During this transition, we realized there was a need for solid Vaganova method training in the area. We felt that opening a school to teach this superb ballet method would be the perfect way for our family to stay in the dance world we love so much, share our decades of experience with a new community, and allow time for our family. Opening a Vaganova dance school has been the perfect way to continue our love of dance and train a new generation.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We are the founders and owners of Jax City Ballet School and Jax City Ballet Youth Company. JCB is unlike any other dance school in the area. What sets us apart is that we focus on developing a strong classical ballet foundation and ballet as an artform. Other schools in the area offer a wide range of dance styles, from jazz through tap and ballet. Conversely, our focus is to provide the best ballet training. We are not a recreational dance school, where students try many dance styles and their time is divided amongst tap and jazz, for example. Rather, our students are focused solely on becoming the best, classically trained ballet dancers they can be.
Alex and I bring years of Vaganova training from the foremost schools in Russia and Ukraine. We grew up learning from the best teachers and dancers in Europe. We also bring years of professional ballet dancing experience to every class. This is important, because when we ask a student to do, for example, five pirouettes, we understand that feeling perfectly. We can teach from a place of true experience, both as students and as experienced principal dancers.
In addition, we are here to prepare our students for a career in dance, if that is their choice. It is our belief that pure, solid and clean ballet technique is of the utmost importance and makes for the most beautiful (and hireable!) dancers. In fact, we are thrilled to offer a Pre-Professional Daytime and Evening time training program to those dancers seeking life as a professional dancer.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
We believe in setting goals, perseverance, and living for today. All of these things catapulted our careers and have helped us get to where we are today.
Set a goal for yourself and work on it right now! Do not wait until tomorrow to do what can be done today. What if tomorrow never comes? Think of all the todays you may have wasted to get to the moment of which you’ve been dreaming.
Persevere, even if what you are doing feels so hard, like it can’t be done. It CAN be done. Just push through. Every day, it will get easier. Imagine you take a video of something you just started working on; maybe a dance, maybe a home project, maybe learning a language. Then, you work on it every day. Just imagine what that project will look like in a few months, with perseverance.
Lastly, believe in yourself! No one can do it but you. No one can do it the way YOU do it! You are amazing and if you believe in yourself, then so will everyone else. Only you can bring yourself to where you want to be. The goal you set and the work you put in belongs to you, but you can always reach out to your teachers, family and friends for their support to help you make your dreams come true.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
First of all our parents and family. Without them we would be nowhere. My Dad passed away unexpectedly and it was a hard time for me. He was the most amazing Dad in the world and would do everything for me. He helped a lot with Jax City ballet preparation but unfortunately couldn’t be there for the opening celebration. But I am sure he is watching me now and hope he is very proud of me. Without him and his help and support I couldn’t be who I am today. I also would like to Thank my Mom for helping us with our daughters and everything she does! Without her support, love and care it wouldn’t be possible.
Also, the student’s parents have been vital to our success! We have been so blessed to have a crew of amazing parents who step up and help us whenever needed. It really takes a village to grow a new business, to put together recitals, and ballet productions. Our students and families have really shown us what it means to be part of a community. With them, together, we thrive!
In addition, our work with local photographer, Angel Tisdale, of A.T. Dance Art, has been vital to our growth. Ms. Tisdale has been nothing short of amazing in her ability to capture the most beautiful photographs of our students. Her work graces our website, ads, and social media. She has definitely played an integral role in helping spread the word about our school.
Lastly, I have to say dedication has played a huge role. Alexey and I both believe in the need for this school and the type of training we offer. We are dedicated to sharing our love of ballet and our knowledge of the Vaganova style of training to the local community. Also, instead of a recitals we are doing a full length ballet productions twice a year (one of them is , of course, The Nutcracker). It’s a great opportunity for our dancers to perform in a real classical ballet and play many roles. We cannot wait to see our dancers grow, thrive and be successful. We are determined to help each student get to where she wants to be!
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Image Credits
Angel Tisdale
