Maria, can you tell us about what Mia does, the kinds of dance she practices, and how she got started?

Maria: Mia started by dancing ballet back in Israel. I suggested it because dance is great for posture, fitness, and overall health. It turned out she was talented! Within a month, she was prepping for competitions. But eventually, Mia said ballet wasn’t for her. At first, she loved everything—the pink tutus, leotards, and ballet shoes. But then she realised she needed more emotion. That’s when she switched to modern lyrical ballet. In life, Mia isn’t very open, but through dance, she finds a way to express herself.

When we moved to the UK and the lockdown hit, Mia had just started dancing (she began relatively late). We couldn’t find a dance school that would take new students, so we set up a dance room at home and bought the equipment we needed. Eventually, we found a school willing to work with her online. We gave it a shot, and it worked out wonderfully! Although, I must say, no British dance school can compare to an Israeli one, let alone a Russian or Soviet one.

Now, Mia dances all over the world. She has lots of medals and awards. She was even invited to America to take part in dance pageants (like beauty pageants but for dance). American dancers are really strong, so participating in that competition was an incredible experience and a learning opportunity. Mia had to not only dance but also give interviews to choreographers and agencies. Out of 450 participants, only she and one other girl received an “Excellent” rating for their interviews. For Mia, who speaks English as her third language and has dyslexia, that was a huge achievement.

Mia earned a Discovery Spotlight scholarship for training in South Carolina: a few days of intensive classes with instructors from the New York Academy of the Arts and the New York School of Ballet. We probably won’t make it this year, but she’s set to go next year. For the last three years, she’s attended a special dance camp in America, also on a scholarship.

How does Mia manage everything? Could you describe her typical day or week?

Maria: Mia currently goes to school near Luton. She could stay overnight there, like in a boarding school, but she prefers coming home.

Her day goes like this: she wakes up at 6 a.m., sometimes at 5:30, to get ready for school and do some stretching — since Mia is still a teenager, her muscles lose form quickly, so she has to train constantly. By 6:30, she’s having breakfast, and by 6:50, we’re heading out. Specifically, I drive her to the school bus stop: we live in St John’s Wood, and the stop is in Highgate. The bus leaves at 7:10, and the journey takes over an hour. She’s at school until 4 p.m., and I pick her up in London around 5-5:30. At her previous school, she’d come home even later because, aside from dancing, she was also the school’s sports captain, playing football, netball, basketball, and rugby. Dance builds strength, speed, and endurance, so she’s really athletic. During inter-school matches, the opposing teams often picked her as the best player — 9 times out of 10, it was Mia.

At home, she has half an hour for dinner before diving into other activities, like Special Ed [special education classes for kids with learning difficulties]. Mia has dyslexia and dyscalculia, so she struggles with words and numbers. Of course, there are also dance classes. Dance is great for training the brain because she has to memorise an insane number of movements: at each competition, she performs 10-15 dances, including solos, group performances, and duets.

 Saturday is her “free” day, in a way. Mia wants to be fluent in Hebrew and Russian, so her first online lesson starts at 8 a.m. This is completely her own initiative. She used to study Chinese too but decided she couldn’t juggle everything. After the lessons, she likes hanging out with friends. On Sundays, she’s up at 8 a.m., has her Special Ed class, then dance practice starts at 11 and, on a good day, wraps up at 6 p.m., with only one break for food.

Wow! So how many days a week does Mia train?

Maria: Last year, Mia trained five days a week, leaving two days for the rest of life. She goes to bed at 10 p.m. It’s not because I’m a “strict Soviet mum” who thinks kids should always be busy. The main thing that activities should bring is joy. If tomorrow Mia says she wants to stop dancing, that would, of course, be a big mistake, and I would try to explain it to her… But I would never force her.

For now, what she wants to do in the future is open her own dance school. She also wants to study art in Italy and keep dancing because, for her, dance is art too. Her GCSEs [General Certificate of Secondary Education exams in the UK] will reflect this. Among other subjects, she chose PE [Physical Education] and Nutrition. She wants to teach kids at her future school not just dance but also a lifestyle that includes proper nutrition and emotional support. But since she’s only 14, and GCSEs are still quite a ways off, Mia is currently considering going to New York to study dance and take art lessons at the same time. For her, art and dance are inseparable.

Does Mia dance just for herself, or does she want to build a career in this field?

Maria: For now, she dances for herself, but if she can, she’ll make it a career. If she sticks with dance, her dream is to join the Batsheva Dance Company in Israel.

This tight schedule with early mornings and endless activities must impact the whole family?

Maria: We have to wake up at 6 a.m. to prepare proper meals. We often have to travel, especially while Mia is still a teenager. We constantly go around Britain and Europe for competitions, luckily held on weekends. Basically, you become your daughter’s personal assistant and chauffeur, fitting into her schedule. But we do our best!

You mentioned that Russian dance schools are stronger than British ones. What do you think are the weaknesses here?

Maria: The dance cultures and histories are different. No one would argue that Bolshoi Theatre dancers are much stronger than those of the Royal Ballet. The Russian—or maybe Soviet—dance school has always been very strong. I think Israeli ballet schools are better than British ones because there are so many immigrants from the USSR. Of course, there are incredibly talented dancers and teachers here too.

I’m not sure if it’s the right approach, but I think in Russia, training is, if not outright suffering, at least very tough, demanding work. Here, it’s more comfortable, more relaxed. Unfortunately, most good dance schools are outside of London, scattered across the country. But our situation isn’t such that we would just drop everything and move.

Mia has just arrived on the school bus and we met.

Mia, which language do you feel most comfortable speaking?

Mia: I think I speak a bit of a mix of languages.

 Maria: If you don’t know how to say something in Russian, try English or Hebrew, and I’ll translate.

Great! Why do you like dancing? Your mum has already given at least one reason, but I’d like to hear your version.

Mia: I’d say I like dancing because it’s an art that helps me express my feelings. My favourite dance style is Lyrical [modern lyrical ballet]; it’s really emotional.

I already know how serious your training is and how structured your days are. Do you regret that so much time is spent on practice and classes, leaving less for friends and hobbies?

Mia: A little bit. But at the same time, I understand that training is important and will help me in the future. So I’d say I have a good balance: I can meet friends on Fridays and Saturdays, and sometimes even on Sundays after dance practice.

 Maria: In any case, our house is always full of guests, and friends are welcome to stay overnight or come for a movie night or something like that.

Mia, do you have any idols in the world of dance or art? Who inspires you?

 Mia: Of course! For example, Henry Moore, the sculptor—I really like how he conveys emotions through the curves and forms of his work. In dance, I admire Derek Hough among modern dancers, and from the past, probably Baryshnikov, Pavlova, and Maya Plisetskaya.

What is your dream?

Mia: I love art! There’s so much I want to do in the future, and it’s hard to choose right now. I’ve dreamed for a long time about opening my own dance school. I also love fashion, which is why I’m drawn to places like New York and Paris.

Maria: Oh, I forgot to mention that Mia found some amazing fashion art courses for next summer…

Mia: There’s a Summer Fashion School in New York that I read about, and I really want to go! You get to work with Vogue and dive into fashion. There are so many courses, it’s crazy! But overall, I want to combine dance, art, and fashion.

Good luck, Mia!

Mia: Thanks! I’m actually preparing for a competition right now.

 Break a leg!