Brette Benedict | Pursuing Dance Professionally

What do you want to do when you grow up? Hear the stories of some Ballet 5:8 dancers and their journey to pursue dance professionally.

Lead Artist, Brette Benedict  

Q. When did you start training in dance?

A. Age 4.

Q. When did you know you wanted to dance full time?

A. I knew by the age of 12.

Q. What are the first steps to a career in dance?

A. The first thing that I need was 100% commitment. To have my eyes focused forward on my goal and know that sacrifices will have to be made.

Q. What was the most challenging part of building a career in dance?

A. The most challenging part is all the rejection each dancer experiences. With each rejection there is a period of sadness and processing but through those experiences my view of myself and my dancing changed and helped me grow in the way I was meant to in order to keep improving and growing in my career.

Q. What do you enjoy most about being a professional dancer?

A. I simply love dancing! I do like knowing the technique and reaching for excellence in my training. However, moving to classical music is what brings me the most joy.

Q. What valuable skills have you seen yourself develop through dance?

A. I've seen myself grow in patience and perseverance. Through the dark, challenging moments in my career you see the patience grow or when you are rejected how you career ends up panning out.  Or even why an injury happened at what seemed to be the most inopportune time, I grew in humility and put my focus on gaining my strength back as well as learning how to prevent further recurring injuries.