Meet Uros Markovic

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Uros Markovic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Uros, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

People say that diamonds are made under pressure, and I think that’s how life works in general. You have to fail a million times before you reach success. Unfortunately, in today’s world, it’s easy to show your highs and hide your lows, so people get the impression that success comes easily.
In my case too, I went through countless failures and hardships—moments when I was almost completely broken mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. But somehow, I always found a way to rise above it and keep moving forward. As you get older, you simply learn to pick yourself up faster and move on. It just comes with experience.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’ve been a professional Latin and ballroom dancer for 30 years, fortunate enough to carve out a career that carried me from becoming a National Champion, to performing as a backup dancer with some of the world’s biggest artists in sold-out arenas, to being a featured performer in productions across the globe. Dance took me to 55 countries, and beyond the stages and spotlights, I was lucky to share what I’ve learned — teaching dancers and dreamers across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
When I moved to New York City 15 years ago, I discovered a new part of myself as an artist. I stepped into modeling and acting, and that path eventually brought me to Los Angeles. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work on national commercials, campaigns, and print projects with brands like Christian Dior, Chevrolet, Toyota, Gillette, Meta, Bosch, Marriott, USC Health, Edison, and many others.
One of my most meaningful acting experiences was playing the lead in a short film with country superstar Kelsea Ballerini, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat.
I’ve learned that it’s very important as artist to develop in different areas and that the more you explore yourself on your artistic journey the more fulfilled and well rounded you become.

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?

Three qualities that have carried me through every chapter of my life and career are integrity, hard work, and resilience.
Integrity has always been the foundation of my success — something I protect fiercely, no matter the circumstance. In the entertainment world, people can be easily swayed. Opportunities appear, and suddenly morals, values, and professionalism become negotiable. For me, that was never even a question. I believe that steadfastness is part of what allowed me to build a long, trusted working relationships, and what shaped the longevity of my career.
Hard work is woven into me through years of athletic training — the discipline, dedication, and perseverance required to rise, to refine, and to reach the next level. It’s a rhythm my body and mind understand instinctively.
And finally, resilience — the quality I consider my true superpower. I’ve lived through challenges that could have broken me, yet each time I chose to stand back up, to keep moving, and to continue building a career I’m deeply proud of.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Last month, while dancing on tour with Andrea Bocelli, I suffered a devastating fall on stage — a moment that ruptured my hamstring completely and led me straight into surgery.
Even though the injury happened in front of 20,000 people, under the lights, in a moment entirely beyond my control, I was met with a painful realization: I was dismissed, unsupported, and left to navigate the hardest moment of my life alone — not just as an artist and performer, but as a human being suddenly stripped of physical certainty.
What should have been a peak of artistic fulfillment became a lesson in disappointment — not in the art, but in the humanity surrounding it.
The hardest part was shifting my focus. Instead of sinking into the weight of what happened, I had to redirect my energy toward healing, toward rebuilding, toward choosing hope over heartbreak. For someone whose work and livelihood depend on a healthy body — as a dancer, teacher, model, and actor — this injury hit every part of my life.
But coming out of surgery, even the smallest signs of healing reminded me of something I’ve learned again and again: with time, with discipline, and with a fiercely positive mindset, I can rise from anything. Challenges don’t define me — how I move through them does.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: uros_nbg
• Youtube: dancer1987la

Image Credits

John Gress, Sal Fuetes, Lucca Rossetti, Roberto Viccaro, Kateryna Shkytska