The Power of Family and Personal Growth: A Year of Reflection

This past week marked my birthday—a time for reflection on the past year, which has been filled with immense change, growth, and new experiences. It’s an opportunity to look back on how far we’ve come and to feel grateful for the support systems that have helped us along the way. As I look back, I’m reminded of the importance of family, friends, and positive influences in our lives, especially in the context of balancing a demanding career in ballet with the joys and challenges of motherhood.

The Support of Family and Friends

Family support can make a world of difference, particularly when balancing a professional career and personal life. I have been fortunate to have a wonderful support system, including my husband, parents, sibling and a circle of positive friends who have become like family to me. They provide the encouragement and understanding needed to navigate the many phases of life.

However, not everyone is always surrounded by family. Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations where our immediate circle may not provide the encouragement or positivity we need. I remember times during my school years or even in the company, where it wasn’t easy to find a supportive environment. It’s during these moments that we need to seek out those positive influences—whether it’s a friend, teacher, or colleague who can offer a different perspective and shine a light on the situation. These relationships can help us see challenges as opportunities for growth and development.

If you’re a young dancer or someone embarking on a new journey, remember that the people you surround yourself with matter. Find those who uplift you, inspire you, and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble, bringing each other down, but finding that one person who can lift you up can make all the difference.

My supportive colleagues and team of swans at the Badisches Staaststheater Karlsruhe after our last run of Swan Lake

Reflecting on a Year of Change

As I celebrated my birthday this week, I couldn’t help but reflect on the many changes that have taken place over the past year. Life is full of phases—some are wonderful, while others are challenging. But each phase brings with it an opportunity for growth and development. I’ve learned that while we can influence these changes by being proactive and driven, sometimes, change simply happens. And it’s during these moments that we have the chance to develop and grow.

Looking back over the past year, I see how much has changed in my own life. From becoming a mother to balancing a career as a dance teacher in Munich, I’ve experienced both the highs and the lows. There have been moments of exhaustion and doubt, but also moments of joy and fulfillment. Through it all, I’ve learned to embrace each phase, knowing that it’s an opportunity to learn and grow.  

Being That Person for My Daughter

Reflecting on my journey as a dancer, I’m reminded of my own mother and the role she played in my development. She was my partner, my travel buddy, my agent, and my biggest supporter. From driving me to auditions and summer schools to staying up late listening to me recount every detail of a performance, she was always there for me. Her unwavering support and encouragement were invaluable, helping me navigate the ups and downs of a career in ballet.

Now, as a mother myself, I look forward to being that person for my little girl. Whatever path she chooses, I want to be there to support her, to encourage her, and to help her navigate the many phases of life. Whether she decides to follow in my footsteps and pursue a career in dance or chooses a completely different path, I will be there to guide her, cheer her on, and help her see the beauty in every phase of her journey.

Embracing Gratitude and Looking Ahead

As I look ahead to the coming year, I’m filled with gratitude for the experiences of the past year and the lessons they have taught me. Balancing a new career with the joys of motherhood isn’t always easy, but it’s a journey filled with growth, discovery, and immense joy. I’m grateful for the support of my family and friends, for the opportunities to teach and inspire young dancers, and for the chance to continue growing both personally and professionally.

To all the young dancers reading this, know that you are not alone in your journey. We all face challenges, but it’s how we respond to them that defines us. Surround yourself with positive influences, embrace each phase of life with gratitude, and remember that every challenge is an opportunity for growth.  

Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. Here’s to another year of growth, discovery, and the joy of dance.

With Love,

Harriet xxx

Lets Spread The Joy of Dance a Little Further

I am back and hoping I can raise some money for a dear friend of mine by selling my signed pointe shoes and the story that comes with them

Hello again. How are we all? After not being on social media for a while, due to feeling personally a little strange about posting about my lucky circumstances compared to other people’s difficult situations all around the world at the moment, I have decided to come back for a reason and am hoping you lovely people out there may help me a little.

At home during lockdown trying to stay in shape and motivated but now grateful that was as hard as it got for me

With the world going through what it is at the moment causing many people to loose their loved ones and livelihoods I feel beyond grateful for getting through the crisis pretty much unscathed so far. I am back doing what I love in the studio, and even on stage spreading the joy of dance to a live audience once more. My hope is to now spread that joy a little further and help someone who means a lot to me.

Meeting the lovely Pia for the third time in Bangkok

Her name is Pia. She is a dear friend of mine from Thailand. I have written about her before because dance actually brought us together while I was on tour in Bangkok with the Staatsballett Karlsruhe back in 2013. We met when she was my Masseur in the Thai massage parlour we always went to and even though we could only communicate very simply, she was so sweet and kind it was the beginning of our long distance friendship.

It was sealed when I offered Pia a bouquet of flowers I received from the Princess of Thailand after performing for her as our guest of honour. I wanted to give her a small thank you and seeing as the people of Thailand love their Royal family, I thought she would really appreciate it and could see what an impression she had already left on me..

Performing ‘Sonata’ with Admil Kuyler in Bangkok for the Princess of Thailand the year I met Pia

Two years later I returned to Bangkok for the same dance festival and was eager to try to find this memorable Thai woman in the hope she could remember the little English ballerina she once massaged. Amazingly I found her on my last evening there and it was a wonderful reunion. This time we exchanged names and addresses and once I was home I sent her some gifts and a letter; written in English and badly translated Thai. Some time later she found me on Facebook; we have been in touch ever since.

I have met her once more in Bangkok since then, where she watched me perform and met my husband and I her niece. Every time we have met she has shown me so much unconditional kindness and motherly affection, she has come to mean a lot to me and me to her.

Recently however she is really struggling due to the Corona crisis in Thailand and she has not been able to work for several months. With the city not getting the needed tourists to provide work for the locals she can no longer afford the room she has in the city to be near her job.

Hearing this from her has urged me to do something to help her and her family, and although there are thousands of families in the same situation all over the world, being so connected to her I feel I need to do something for my friend. Dance brought me to Pia and dance brings joy to so many people so I hope it can bring even more than that to someone halfway across the world who’s simple, humble life is being taken away from them.

My first idea is to offer pairs of my old pointe shoes, signed and with a little message and the story that comes with the shoes to anyone who is interested and the donation will to go towards this small cause to help a friend in need. 

So please contact me if you are interested and want to help me help Pia get through this difficult situation she faces. I for one will be so grateful for anything and I know she will be even more so. You can either write to me through here, or my Facebook or Instagram accounts. I hope to hear from you soon and thank you in advance.

With love,

Harriet

Crossing the Border to Basics

What’s it like to be back in the studio & what I plan to do with my time back at work

Now that my time of home quarantine is pretty much over with Germany and Austria coming back to life after almost two months in shut down, I have a similar feeling to when I go back to work after our long summer holidays. Having gotten quite used to the way of life we were all forced into I am now feeling like I am once again treading on familiar ground but a little apprehensive to do so.

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My quarantine studio during the lockdown

My first journey back to Salzburg was a strange one, riding an empty train carrying a ‘border commuter’ document and wearing a mask, something I never imagined I would be explaining to people. But I got across successfully and made my way to the disinfected studios to begin a ballet class of four dancers, all practising their spacial awareness and finding their own feet after taking class in their living rooms for the past few weeks. Continue reading “Crossing the Border to Basics”

Tanzen in Tokyo

Sharing with you my amazing time in Tokyo during summer

If you’ve already read my previous post “Living In a World Such as this is like Dancing on a Live Volcano” you will know why I recently ended up on a quick trip to Japan to perform at a small gala very last minute. This spontaneous trip became part of my very short summer vacation and was another chance to perform some pieces I never thought I would again.

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Post pas de deux pic, with my ‘Romeo’ Zhile Xu

I spent the week rehearsing and performing with old colleagues while managing to combine the days spending some much needed holiday time with my other half, who came along for the week.

❝It is quite amazing what you can make possible when you have no other choice❞

We arrived at our hotel after a very very long journey just in time for a quick dinner and hopefully an early night. But upon arriving I received my costumes and pre-ordered pointe shoes, which I needed to prepare for the next morning’s rehearsal. So while my husband slept soundly (possibly the only good night sleep he got the whole trip due to jetlag) I lay in bed till 12:30 sewing these emergency pointe shoes until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Continue reading “Tanzen in Tokyo”

The End of My Karlsruhe Era

A week to go of the season here in Karlsruhe and I want to look back all I have gone through here and share with you all what is to come

As the end of our ballet season in Karlsruhe is approaching fast, the time for big changes is also on the horizon, and with this post, I want to share with you the next step I am planning to take in my career and personal life.

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On stage performing as Anastasia in ‘Sleeping Beauty – The Last Daughter of the Czar’
a ballet by Youri Vámos

This season will actually be my last with the Staatsballett Karlsruhe and I will be eagerly joining the Salzburg Landestheater Ballet Ensemble at the beginning of August. A company I have had my eye on for a while and a place I hope will bring many different and exciting opportunities my way.

❝Karlsruhe Ballet has been my home for nine seasons, giving me more than I ever thought I would have❞

Continue reading “The End of My Karlsruhe Era”

Inspiration All Around Us

Where do you find your inspiration? I find my inspiration in you

We all need a little inspiration in life and we all find it in different places. It can come from the simplest of things, like a sunny morning helping you get out of bed or a good song brightening your mood. Inspiration can be found almost anywhere and I think one of the strongest inspirations we have out there can be each other. Humans inspiring humans.

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Performing La Sylphide from the inspirational Peter Schaufuss

I wanted to touch on this topic because recently I have received a few messages and responses to my dancing and what I am writing about on here that have been so encouraging for me. Messages from people who I haven’t even met, and yet they kindly took the time to let me know that from watching me dance or reading my blog they have thoroughly enjoyed it and been inspired by it.

Hearing from these wonderful people not only encouraged me but reminded me I am in a position where I am inspiring people and the fact that it is through my job and I am uplifting people from doing the thing I love, is the greatest reward I could ask for. I get this from total strangers and I am so lucky that my occupation exposes me to such compliments. Unfortunately, not many people have that exposure, but this shouldn’t make a difference and we should all take the time to tell someone they did well and we appreciate their efforts, it can honestly inspire them to do more. This is the effect that it had on me. Continue reading “Inspiration All Around Us”

Grabbing on to that Second Chance

Sometimes life gives you a second chance, even in ballet, and it’s always what you do with those moments that counts. So when my second chance to dance a huge role came around I really wanted it to mean something

Second chances. Moments we wish we could redo. Turn the clocks back and try again. Another opportunity to improve on experiences or approach them at a different age to see how we would handle it now. Who doesn’t want a second chance at moments in their life? And as a dancer I can tell you, it is often a wish of mine to have the chance to perform a role once more for these exact reasons.

Little did I know it wasn’t quite the end of that chapter

In my previous post, ‘Never Say Never’, I wrote about my fortunate moments of getting second chances and what I gained from them, but I think having Christopher Wheeldon’s ‘Swanlake’ come back into my life this season is possibly the biggest chance for me to see what has changed after six years of professional performing.

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Performing as Odette with Zhike Xu as Prince Siegfried (Photo: Jochen Klenk)

Continue reading “Grabbing on to that Second Chance”

Never Say Never

Just when you think a ballet is behind you, they have a tendency to come back and teach you something new

I have often been proved wrong when thinking I was dancing something for the last time. Just when you think the curtain has gone down on a particular role or piece it ends up finding its way back to you. And more often than not, it’s the ones you were glad to say goodbye to.

❝It seemed like an impossible thing for me to ever dance & I never imagined I would have the opportunity to give it a go❞

Recently this seems to be happening a lot to me and it is proving to not be such a bad thing after all. For this post, I want to share two particular pieces that have found their way back to me and dedicate another to the recent return of our Swanlake and my upcoming shows of Odette/Odile, which I think definitely needs its own mention.

So for now, I take you back to the end of last season when we performed Kenneth McMillan’s ‘Concerto’ in our yearly gala here in Karlsruhe. ‘Concerto’ is a one-act ballet in three movements choreographed in 1966 for the Berliner Ballett and was staged for the Royal Ballet Touring Company in 1967. Our company had to learn it in just two weeks with Julie Lincoln teaching and staging the piece. This ballet was not completely new to me as I performed ‘Concerto’ while at The Royal Ballet School for my graduating performance in 2010. I was part of the third movement assemble, and now, 8 years later, I was cast for the third movement Solo Girl.

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Backstage of the Royal Opera House at the age of 18 during ‘Concerto’ rehearsals

I was delighted, albeit a little nervous to be chosen to dance this role as I remember admiring the girl who performed it at school. At that time it seemed like an impossible thing for me to ever dance and I never imagined I would have the opportunity to give it a go. At that age and time in my life, dancing such a solo was the scariest thing I could imagine. Continue reading “Never Say Never”

Pain as a Constant Companion

Reflecting on my interview with Sarah Nagel about my career and life as a ballet dancer

When Sarah Nagel, a journalist and friend, asked if I would like to be interviewed by her for the Sunday newspaper here in Karlsruhe I jumped at the opportunity. It was a pleasure to wake up this morning with my face on the front page and a beautifully written article to read while sewing pointe shoes on my day off. I have to admit reading about yourself over morning coffee is a joy, but another part of doing interviews I really appreciate is getting the chance to remind myself of where I have been and where I am now.

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‘Pain as a Constant Companion’ is the translated title of Sarah’s article in ‘Der Sonntag” as Sarah wanted to know the personal difficulties I have faced as a student and professional dancer and we talked about the hardship of physical and mental pain ballerinas face.

Things that affected me so much at a younger age seem so small now

Continue reading “Pain as a Constant Companion”

WORLD BALLET DAY 2018

🌸🌸HAPPY WORLD BALLET DAY🌸🌸
I hope everyone enjoys dancing around in their tutus and tiaras or even socks and sweats – joining together to celebrate one of the most beautiful and special art forms there is.
Stay tuned all day with companies around the world streaming life from the studio and stage:

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Performing as the Sylph in Peter Schaufuss’s La Sylphide

With love,

Harriet