Isabelle Brouwers, Class of 2014
Current Profession: Artist, English National Ballet
Attended: The Royal Ballet School and English National Ballet School
What has been your journey since you left GIS?
I left GIS in 2008 to train professionally as a ballerina. I completed my GCSEs whilst at the Royal Ballet School in London, and then in 2011, I joined the English National Ballet School and continued my A Level studies privately. I was very fortunate to be offered a contract to work full time with the English National Ballet in 2014, and was honoured to be promoted to First Artist in 2017!
Why ballet?
I started dancing when I was 7 years old and was mesmerised from my very first lesson. As an expat child growing up in many different countries, ballet was the universal language that transcended the barriers of language and gave me a sense of identity and connection to the community wherever I moved to. I was always so inspired by the freedom and joy I felt dancing, and it was simply something I couldn’t refrain from doing!
What are the challenges that you faced and how you managed to overcome it?
There are many challenges along the path to becoming a professional ballet dancer, many obstacles that may seem insurmountable, and probably too many to list in their entirety, but with tenacity, perseverance and a genuine inner passion (because only true passion can allow you to push through the most difficult barriers!) they are all possible to overcome. It’s an undoubtedly extremely physically taxing career, and I’ve had several inevitable overuse injuries along the path, some at a very young age. These may have inflicted necessary moments of pause in training, which were disheartening, but they also offered me opportunities to become more in tune with my body, truly understand and evaluate the importance of balance and intelligent work, and these moments of forced rest made my passion and desire to return to dance as quickly as possible even greater.
I think the greatest challenges lie in the mind though. There have been disheartening comments and criticism along my training and career path, people commenting on the lack of flexibility in my feet, the inappropriateness of my spine flexibility, teachers discrediting my suitability for the career, and it required huge mental strength and conviction to overcome these comments. I always stayed true to my undeniable passion for dance and this deep-set conviction allowed me to block out negative discouragement, work on adjustments in my lines to create the illusion that my body was gifted with all the necessary abilities for ballet, and continue to share my freedom and joy for dance on stage. Achievements along my career path thus far have given me the hope and conviction that my unshakeable passion and mental tenacity was my biggest strength and saving grace.
What have been some of the highlights of your career so far?
Youth America Grand Prix in 2007
Genée International Ballet Competition Silver Medal 2013
Young British Dancer of the Year 2013 2nd Place
Nominated for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Emerging Dancer Final – https://bit.ly/3eWTOV5
Being accepted into the Company and performing the Corsaire pas de deux at La Fenice, Venice shortly after.
Dancing at the Palais Garnier (Paris Opéra) in June 2016.
Competing in Emerging Dancer 2015, 2016, 2017 and working with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui in 2017.
Performing Pina Bausch’s Rite of Spring at Sadler’s Wells.
Working closely with Akram Khan for the creation of Giselle and being given the chance to perform Myrtha internationally.
What advice do you have for current students who might be interested in a similar career path?
This is not a usual career or study path; it is a career that commences, and unfortunately comes to an end, at a rather young age, as with most athletic career paths, and it requires you to make professional and lasting decisions extremely early on in life. I chose to pursue this profession at the age of 11, and it is essential to understand that autonomy and self motivation is needed very early on. I’d say the most important thing to remember is that true passion and perseverance can help you overcome the myriad of obstacles you may find along the way; the mind is undoubtedly our strongest tool and it is important to keep a positive, ambitious and focused mindset to achieve your goals.
How did GIS contribute to your journey to fulfill your ambition?
I’ve had the most amazing list of enlightening coaches and teachers who have shaped and paved my path to success, and it would be impossible to list them all! However, in KL specifically, I must extend my biggest thanks to the wonderful GuiXin Zhou, Jetty Maika and Yupin Lee, three of my most valuable coaches during my formative ballet year in Malaysia.
I must acknowledge my schooling in GIS as one of the most formative and inspiring years in my education; the environment nurtures and inspires students to persevere, strive for consistent improvement and achieve outstanding goals. I must also thank the Principal at the time, Mr Simon Mann, for allowing me to pursue my ballet training and partake in international competitions during my schooling and for nurturing the striving and high achieving mentality that I believe in synonymous with GIS.
Thank you, Isabelle, for taking the time to share your incredible career journey, as well as such inspiring words of wisdom, with us.
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