About a ballerina's diet and excess weight

Of course, ballet dancers take care of themselves, but that doesn't mean we don't eat anything. We eat like normal people, we just try to do it consciously. I eat everything without any direct prohibitions. Rehearsals and performances require energy. Once I came to a rehearsal hungry – and I had no strength, I almost fell. After that I said to myself: "That's it, I won't do this anymore."

Even though we don't starve and eat everything, we still have to watch our weight. At the choreography school, I was worried about my excess weight. When I was 13-14, the teacher once said: "You can't stand right in front of the mirror. Turn away, you have chubby cheeks." At that age, it's offensive – both your mood and motivation immediately disappear.

When I came to the theatre, I didn't understand why some girls didn't dance in the performances. They didn't look "fat" , but the teacher-repetitioner thought that some of them had too big legs and didn't put them in the productions.

Now, six years later, the system has become softer. There is no longer a strict selection based solely on weight, and the global trend is changing.

It's all individual. For example, I have this peculiarity: if there is no load, I lose weight and visually stretch out, so after vacation I come in good shape. And when intensive rehearsals begin, the muscles immediately swell, and I seem to swell . For some, on the contrary, the body dries out from the load. But you have to watch your body on vacation.