By Ritika Iyer
Former Cal High student Katerina Eng was in such awe of the Sugarplum Fairy after watching her first “Nutcracker” performance at the tender age of seven that she joined her first ballet class soon after at the San Ramon Community Center.
Now a 15-year-old sophomore attending Venture, Katerina is a level seven ballerina, living in San Francisco to pursue her dream of becoming a professional by dancing for 23 hours a week at the San Francisco Ballet School.
“I was just a young kid who was taking dance classes,” Katerina said. “I never thought that I would become a professional ballet dancer.”
Having started out at Contra Costa Ballet School and San Ramon Valley Dance Academy, Katerina always knew she had a passion for ballet.
“She has always had a gracefulness about her, even when she was little,” said Katerina’s mother, Roslyn Eng.
When Katerina first began dancing, she didn’t have the same passion for it as she does today, but she is definitely glad she stuck through it.
“I think I stayed with it because of the nice music, to be honest,” Katerina said. “I’m also a girly-girl. Can’t get any more girly-girl than tutus and pointe shoes.”
Katerina’s love for ballet outshined the other types of dance when she attended a summer intensive camp at the Australian Ballet School when she was 12 years old.
The following year, Katerina attended a summer program at the San Francisco Ballet School to further her interest in dance.
“After the summer intensive (at the school), I got invited to stay for the year round program,” she said. “It was the step that I needed to take to fulfill my dream.”
Now, having performed in a variety of shows, Katerina has reached the seventh of eight ballet levels at SF Ballet School.
Learning and performing with a select 17 other girls in her level, Katerina is also one of the few picked to learn and possibly perform in the San Francisco Ballet Company’s production of the “Nutcracker” this holiday season.
“Katerina has a very natural body, a beautiful body for dance,” said Tina LeBlanc, one of her teachers at the San Francisco Ballet School. “She has a natural sense for performing.”
Katerina’s passion shows noticeably when she performs on stage.
“She is a wonderful performer,” said Katerina’s friend and fellow ballerina, Natasha Carl. “She has a beautiful face and always smiles when she dances, so you can tell that she is really enjoying (being on stage).”
Living in San Francisco with her mom during the week, attending the Venture school on Monday mornings and staying at home on Sundays, Katerina has a very busy schedule.
Fortunately, Katerina gains a lot of support from her family.
“I think it’s a privilege and an honor to dance (at the San Francisco Ballet School),” Roslyn Eng said. “Whenever they let me watch her, I do.”
Last year, Katerina was a freshman at Venture and Cal. But because of her ballet school hours, she is now a full-time student at Venture, the district’s independent study school.
“It’s my choice, and my sacrifice that I took for something that I loved,” she said. “Ballet is like my job, it’s what I love to do. If I didn’t do ballet, I don’t know what I would be doing.”
Inspired by the San Francisco Ballet Company and dancers Sofiane Sylve and Lorena Feijoo, Katerina plans to dance professionally for a company in the future.
Sofiane Sylve and Lorena Feijoo are both principal dancers at the San Francisco Ballet.
After auditioning for five ballet intensives last summer, and being accepted to all five, dancing for a company seems like a viable choice for Katerina.
However, another possible option for her is to attend a premier dance school, such as Juilliard in New York City.
“I have no doubt in my mind that she will be able to make it as a professional dancer,” said LeBlanc. “She is exquisitely beautiful when she is moving slowly and able to show the lines of her body.”
Being a ballerina is known for being a risky and dangerous career choice, but Katerina is aware of these risks and knows that one must have a back-up career if pursuing ballet.
“I’m nervous about injury because most dancers do get injured,” said Roslyn. “It’s the same feeling that most moms who have an athlete have.”
As for now, Katerina is improving her techniques and artistry in order to be considered for a scholarship next year at the San Francisco Ballet School.
“I love ballet just because of the way it feels in my heart,” she said. “The passion I have, the goals I have in mind, and the love I have for it, is what gets me out of bed in the morning, even when I am feeling lazy and exhausted.”
Katerina’s passion is evident to all.
“She really is a true dancer at heart,” said LeBlanc.
She will be performing in the San Francisco Ballet Company’s production of the “Nutcracker” this holiday season. Visit sfballet.org for more info.
