The life of a professional dancer is one full of criticism, hard work, and according to some, incomparable joy. Leon Feizo-Gas, a long time dancer for Ballet BC, takes a minute out of his hectic rehearsal schedule to tell me all about his journey to the top and what keeps him motivated.

So other than Ballet, what kind of training have you had?
I would say my core training is in classical ballet, as a dancer I’ve been exposed to contemporary, modern… It even goes as far as Indian dance! My core is classical ballet, but as a dancer growing up I was exposed to many dance forms.

When did you realize you wanted to be a dancer?
I was about 12 or 13 years old. I had started with jazz and tap and ballet came a bit later. It wasn’t until I went to a 30-day summer program. There I was exposed to so much…like partnering aspects, and the male component of classical ballet. It was that intensified period of exposure to ballet that made me want to delve deeper and focus all my attention on ballet

When did you realize you’d “made it” as a dancer?
I’m still realizing it every day. I guess it wasn’t until my second year working as a dancer for ballet BC. I kind of realized ‘Whoa. I’ve actually become a professional dancer!’ For me, everyday I’m reiterating… ‘Oh my god I’m a dancer this is what I do for a living’

Do you have any words of wisdom for new comers?
Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t… or you don’t, have what it takes to become a dancer. If you want it hard enough and bad enough it will come to you

We always hear horror stories about brutal dance teachers and ruthless competition in the dance world. What’s the worst that you’ve experienced?
Personally, I’ve never done competitions so I’ve saved myself from those experiences. Horrors stories…Jesus… I don’t want to say any names in particular, but I’ve had experiences with teachers that are …relatively degrading. I’ve had experiences where you have teachers that just say the wrong thing about weight, and physical outward appearance.
I was lucky to not be put myself in those environments

Do you have any particular rituals you have to do before a show?
Catch a little nap actually! I give myself at least 2 hours after I’ve had my rest period making sure to warm up properly. I always put my makeup on half hour before the show. I’m at the studio going over the material with the music making sure that everything is clarified in my mind.

What do you love and hate the most about your job?
Love the most? The process. Time spent in the studio, experimenting, I refer to it as playing. The time spent in the studio really picking things apart paying attention to details. Its real satisfaction when you come home dead tired…exhausted. It’s a personal reward.
Hate – I really can’t come up with anything I dislike about the job! There is no aspect of being a dancer I dislike in the slightest regard.

Do you have any goals for the future in terms of dance?
My main goal is to do it as long as I can. I’m always trying to outdo myself. Always trying to become a more in depth artist. My goal is to always have that growth maintained. I always want to be growing as a person, as an artist

What are some upcoming shows with Ballet BC to look forward to?
Upcoming shows –Fairie queen, next show is Carmen, and a Street Car Named Desire.

Is there a particular Ballet you’ve always wanted to be in?
I have just as much excitement and drive, no matter what the work I’m doing. I’d be just as excited to do Romeo and Juliet as I would be to do a new work. I have equal excitement for everything I do. There is no one ballet I look forward to doing…I love doing them all

Dancewear is very in right now. As a professional dancer does it make you laugh to see girls walking around in Capezio Ballet flats and American Apparel bodysuits?
I think its great! With shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars- its great that dance is coming back in known culture. I totally laugh when I see that, but I love the fact dance is getting more exposure

Speaking of shows like So You Think You Can Dance… Do you feel they’re giving newcomers new opportunities? Or cheapening the art?
It doesn’t cheapen it at all! Shows like that are a different aspect of being a dancer… it’s a more commercial aspect of dance…which has been part of the problem in terms of dance not being something that is widely known and respected in culture. It doesn’t cheapen it at all; it’s a very different aspect of the dance world. A different facet of dance.

How hard of a journey has it been to get where you are?
For me it was a tough road… I had a lot of challenges growing up, and personal challenges. Even now as a professional dancer there are a lot of physical challenges. There are different body types and every body takes on stress in different ways. At the risk of sounding self-indulgent it was pretty tough and continues to be pretty difficult but part of my love for dance is the journey, I wouldn’t trade it for anything

—

Leon performs in Ballet BC’s The Faerie Queen this month as one of the male leads, Lysander. He is in his fourth season with Ballet BC.