No movie influenced me more to go after my dreams than 'Flashdance.' After seeing it, I took 15 dance lessons a week. I cut all my sweatshirts. I did the 'Maniac' thing.

I noticed that no matter where I went in the country, there was this group of questions that got asked. I would track them and keep them in categories. Like body image, school, family, friendship, you name it, the emotional life of a teenage girl.

I will say a lot of dancers do such beautiful things for their body and then they smoke a cigarette. I've never been a smoker, but I realized after taking yoga . . . in ballet you're not encouraged to do a lot of breathing. I think in a weird way, a lot of dancers find relief in actually breathing.

One thing I've learned: My intentions are clear in terms of quality.

No one can hand you anything as a dancer. You have to earn it.

Ask Elizabeth is a community of voices, it's not me standing on a podium telling people how to run their lives, it's girls helping each other sharing their wisdom and advice and I create a space for them to do it.

I'd love to play a rock star in a movie, but for now, I'm not performing in public.