Age: 15
Hometown: Österskär, outside of Stockholm
School: The Royal Swedish Ballet School
Favorite Brand: Dance by Lina for skirts, Capezio or WearMoi for leotards
Dream Roles: Kitri, Giselle, Esmeralda, and many more! Roles that require a lot of acting are always my favorite.
How did you first get into ballet in Sweden?
My Mom put me into dance among many other activities when I was little. Ever since I saw the Nutcracker by the Royal Swedish Ballet, I begged to start ballet classes, so when I was 6, I finally did and I've loved it ever since.
You mentioned that ballet is very unpopular in Sweden. Why do you think that is?
This is a tricky question that I've never really understood. I think it's partly because most little kids want to do what their friends do, and most of their friends don't do ballet, meaning they don't want to do it either. Or maybe it's because when they get a little bit older, there are so many other things to do and explore, so many quit ballet to try other things. A great example of this is my first ballet school. We were around 20 students when I started at age 6, but only two left when I was 8.
How far do you live from The Royal Swedish Ballet School?
I live around one hour away from RSBS and I usually travel to school by train.
Walk us through a day in the life of Felicia:
A normal weekday in my life starts around 6am. I get up, eat breakfast (my favorite meal!), pack my school books and dance wear and do my bun. I take the train to school. The Royal Swedish Ballet School has academic subjects and dance combined. I start at 8:30 with academics, math, Swedish, English, History, Spanish, etc. Around noon I have lunch, and then change into my ballet uniform and warm up. Then I take ballet class, for usually 1.5 hours. Later I have either modern or jazz, which is sometimes followed by pas de deux or rehearsals. After dance I get home, eat dinner and do my homework. Before I get to bed I make sure to stretch.
What does your uniform look like at the RSBS?
We switch uniform every year. This year I wore a purple leotard, and next year my class will wear red ones.
How many students are at the RSBS?
Around 100 I believe, from age 10 to 19. In my class, we´re 14.
What does a typical Scandinavian meal look like at home?
Dinner at home could be anything from meatballs, to a pasta dish or Swedish pancakes.
What is your favorite source of healthy energy at the studio?
My favorite snack to survive those long dance days is fruit: strawberries, apples, bananas or mangoes, for example.
What is something you struggle with as a dancer?
My body isn't the perfect ballet body. I´m tall and skinny which of course is great, but I wasn't born with natural flexibility, turnout to feet. I´ve had to work very hard to achieve the flexibility I have today and it´s something I continue to work on every day.
How do you keep your body strong and healthy?
Eating well, working out regularly and resting are keys to keep my body in shape.
Share with us a favorite Swedish recipe:
Swedish pancakes! They are a lot like normal, American pancakes, except thinner and bigger. They are so good!
Where are you studying this summer?
This year I´m attending the Royal Danish Ballet school summer intensive, which I´m really looking forward to.
Who is your dance idol?
Misty Copeland because of her incredible story, and Svetlana Zakharova, I mean obviously she´s amazing!
Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
In 5 years, I´ll be 20 (omg!). I really hope to work as a professional ballerina in a big company. Some of my dream companies are the Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and American Ballet Theatre.
