At just 16 years old, Miroslava Chursina, a sophomore at Pine View School, is not only an accomplished ballet dancer but also a social media influencer for the dance wear company Nikolay.
At age 4, inspired by watching her older sister dance, she began taking her first lessons. Today, she trains at the International Ballet of Florida, a popular academy among dancers in Bradenton, where she attends classes five days a week and performs in three scheduled shows annually.
Felicity Liu, a senior at Pine View also attends International Ballet of Florida. Chursina and Liu have danced through many levels for a few years now, creating a bond through their shared passion and time together at dance.
“You’re with the same people for years and it’s wonderful, it’s a great bonding experience,” Liu said.
In August of 2024, Chursina became an influencer for Nikolay Dancewear. This opportunity arose through her dance shop which features the company. For this partnership, she promotes their products on her Facebook and Instagram pages weekly, showcasing the brand in a positive light. In return she receives essential dancewear items from the company.
“They send me a quarterly box, and they have the shoes in them which is really convenient, because I go through my pointe shoes really fast,” Chursina said.
Liu claims that being an influencer would be a little too much work for herself, but she understands the benefits it brings and admires her friends that are involved.
“Most of the dancers that model for the dance shop are Nikolay influencers and it helps to build your dancer portfolio if you want to pursue professionally,” Liu said.
Another valuable experience for dancers approaches during the winter season. Chursina’s schedule becomes even more demanding as she prepares for the annual “Nutcracker” performance. This year, Chursina took on the role as the Snow Queen in the “Nutcracker” at the Polk Theatre. Over the years of dance, she and Liu have been in the “Nutcracker” many times, allowing them to experience a variety of roles.
“It gives a really good opportunity to build your character in a way,” Liu said.
Although this performance, and ballet as a whole, can be very time consuming, especially for Chursina, as she spends additional time influencing ballet products even while away from dance class, she never forgets the joy that all of this demanding work brings her.
“When you’re dancing, you just go somewhere else, and I think that’s nice,” Chursina reflected.