20. Queensland Ballet Soloist Lina Kim and her amazing side hustle!
Lina was awarded the Most Outstanding Dancer and Queensland Ballet Scholarship Winner back in 2007 upon joining the Queensland Dance School of Excellence. After her studies, Lina immediately landed a trainee contract with Queensland Ballet in 2010 before officially becoming a company artist in 2011.
As youāll hear in our interview, Lina comments on her rather linear path from school to company being āboringā - but in my opinion, itās nothing short of amazing!
What a lot of people donāt understand is that most dancers dream of a contract in a company close to home. Contracts in your home town (especially in Australia!) are very sought after and if you donāt receive one you have to move overseas to pursue this extremely competitive career.
Most dancers donāt have the opportunity to come home to family and friends, let alone have them come to performances and see all their hard work on stage. Therefore Linaās linear career path from school to company is a testament to her amazing work as not only an artist, but also a beautiful human being.
I heard Lina speak a couple of years ago at a Queensland Ballet event and I was blown away with how beautifully she articulated difficult truths within the industry and even more impressed when she told the audience she designs and makes handmade dance wear as a hobby.
Well, that hobby is now a budding young business that ships all over the world and when I see women walk into my adult ballet classes carrying her bags and children at workshops wearing her leotards - it makes me smile. You can see and purchase her beautiful pieces at Lina Dancewear here!
Ever since I started the podcast I had my sights set on interviewing this wonderful woman. Iāve been blown away by her performances many times and have always admired Linaās ability to juggle a career as a Queensland Ballet Soloist with a successful side hustle.
So without further redo, enjoy this special episode with Lina Kim!
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