By Ashley Du and Emily Wang, Staff Reporters

Senior Lia Issakov is an expert at juggling dance and schoolwork, managing to dance 25 to 30 hours a week in her quest for ballet stardom.

Issakov has trained since she was 9 years old, dancing at  Simply Dance Studio and The Washington Ballet before settling at the West Chester branch of The Rock School for Dance Education, The Rock School West, three years ago.

During summer 2022, The Royal Ballet School selected Issakov for its summer intensive program in London. There, she worked with accomplished teachers and dancers internationally.

“I got to work with really great teachers and really great students as well from all over the world. It was the best week of my life,” Issakov said.

Issakov attends The Rock School West’s day program as part of the pre-professional division. She is currently training at Level 5 out of 7 and studies the Vaganova method. The goal of the pre-professional program is to expose dancers to a professional setting, consisting of a ballet class followed by rigorous rehearsals and excerpts from larger ballets. Issakov joined the program in her junior year.

“Right off the bat, I was very impressed with her work ethic,” said Etienne Diaz, director of ballet for The Rock School West. “She’s just ready to learn. She’s always present.”

Issakov said that balancing school and ballet is difficult, but she has learned to manage her time. Using any time she has, Issakov studies during dance breaks and in the car.

“Every free moment is homework, and then the rest is just dancing,” Issakov said. “My time management has gotten way better because of (ballet), and I manage my stress well also.”

Ann Karcewski, Issakov’s freshman and sophomore Spanish teacher, said that Issakov rarely missed deadlines despite her busy schedule.

“She always had her work done,” Karcewski said. “She never ever emailed me saying, ‘Señora, could I have an extra day?’ or anything like that. If she had a really, really busy schedule in the afternoon or night, I would have never even guessed.”

After graduation, Issakov plans to apply and audition for many ballet companies, her top choice being Orlando Ballet Company and School. Companies are professional dance troupes, and most hire based on auditions.

According to Diaz, Issakov has already learned everything in The Rock School’s curriculum. Now, The Rock School teachers help Issakov create audition tapes and talk to other directors to find the right company for her.

“Every company is a little bit different in terms of what they’re looking for. Our job is not just to teach them everything but to prepare them for the future,” Diaz said.

As jobs in ballet are competitive, Issakov wants to continue her academic education through online classes.

“I would like to apply to online schools to hopefully start my degree so that I can start my education because dancing doesn’t last forever,” Issakov said.

When it comes to Issakov’s motivation, she says that her extensive commitment to dance has kept her going.

“I would say that my biggest motivation is that I’ve been doing this for so long,” Issakov said. “I’ve worked so incredibly hard for it. I want to see it through, and I want to finish it and be like, ‘I did it. I accomplished it.’”

Ashley Du can be reached at [email protected].

Emily Wang can be reached at [email protected].