187. Nutcracker Chronicles: Touching Stories and Helpful Advice from Professional Ballerina Janine Kovac

It's Nutcracker season, and today I want to pull back the curtain on what life is really like as a professional ballet dancer. My guest today is Janine Kovac who was a professional dancer for 12 years in Iceland, Italy, San Francisco, and her hometown in El Paso, Texas. In today’s episode, Janine and I talk about how you can take whatever role you're given in the ballet, even if it's not your favorite, and truly make it your own. She shares her pre-performance ritual as a professional dancer, which I will say was very well thought out and definitely helped her have that sense of confidence every time she took the stage. Janine also shares a touching story about when her twins were in the NICU and how her life lessons from being a ballet dancer helped her get through it. This episode is packed with tangible advice and behind-the-scenes insights into the world of professional ballet and, of course, some extra fun with discussing The Nutcracker! Get Janine’s Book, The Nutcracker Chronicles: https://www.janinekovac.com/in-other-words2 Connect with Janine on Her Website: https://janinekovac.com Other Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/187

Om Podcasten

You train extensively as a dancer, but what about mental training? Have you ever trained your mental skills like confidence, focus, or resilience? When you tune in to Passion for Dance, that mental training is precisely what you get. You can learn from a sport psychology expert who understands the dance industry and can teach you how to elevate your performance and truly thrive on and off stage. Welcome to Passion for Dance, where your host, Dr. Chelsea, will bring the science of sport psychology into the dance studio. Each week, you will learn actionable strategies and new mindsets to build happier, more successful dancers. Dance teaches us to push through the pain to reach our goals, and we are used to criticism, tears, bleeding toes, and sore muscles. But now, psychological research has taught us more about mental health and resilience than ever before, and it's time to change our industry for the better. Being a dancer teaches us critical life skills, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer before we can build ourselves back up. Dance can teach us self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, grit, and resilience without destroying our self-esteem. The path to personal growth is full of joy, self-discovery, and challenging roadblocks, but we don't have to figure it out alone. This podcast is for all of us to connect, learn, and share our passion for dance with the world.