I absolutely love what I do, and I want to dance for as long as I can and feel good about what I am putting out there on the stage.

I think most people don't really understand all that it takes to stand on your toes, and to be able to jump and land without any noise, or for a male dancer to be able to lift a girl. All of these things look so effortless, but there's an attention to detail and years of training, as well as being able to transform into a character and being able to meld all of those things together.

Once I became a professional, maybe 19 or 20, I really started to try to figure out who I was, as a woman and as an individual.

The higher you go up in rank, usually the longer you can dance.

Success is not easy and I think everyone should know that hard work and perseverance and being open to giving back are so much more powerful than stepping all over people to get to the top.

The word "prodigy" was thrown around a lot, but I didn't understand what that meant, or the weight of it. It didn't really mean anything to me, until I was older and could look back on it.

Going on stage and transcending the audience and becoming this otherworldly thing makes you a dancer. It's not so black and white.