DUBAI: A gruesome image of a ballerina’s feet has been widely circulated online for years now. The ballerina stands ‘en pointe,’ literally on the tip of her toes. One foot is covered in a pale pink ballerina shoe, while the other is bare — battered with red bruises and plasters. For an art form defined by its grace and finesse, there is certainly more than meets the eye to ballet.
There is a kind of dark side to it — the immense pressure, the drive for perfection, the competitiveness — not to mention the physical toll it takes on the dancers’ bodies. Saudi ballerina Samira Alkhamis, who has danced since the age of four, is all too familiar with the price one pays to become a professional.
Samira Alkhamis has danced since the age of four. (Supplied)
“It is painful, but you get used to it,” she tells Arab News. “The hardest part about ballet is for you to make it look easy, effortless, and graceful on stage. You can’t not be in pain standing on wood with your entire weight on your toes. It is intense, but you need to have the mental capacity to keep going. A lot of people stop at that point. But there is more to it, because it does feel really good once you get used to the pain.”
Alkhamis stepped into the world of dance when her supportive parents signed her up to it as an after-school activity. Academically, she was never an A-plus student, but dancing grabbed her attention. “My mom put me in ballet class and I never stopped,” she says. “There was something about it that kept me going.”
In the beginning, what kept her going was that it offered a form of escape from annoyances of school life, namely homework and bullies.
Alkhamis practices contemporary ballet and teaches lyrical dancing and jazz. (Supplied)
“I’m not going to lie: I was bullied quite a lot,” she says. “I was not the most popular girl, for some reason. But I noticed that when I went to ballet class, I was good at dancing and I was the one who was leading. People liked me there. I was appreciated.
“I think I learned a lot from school, because I felt like people were always trying to blend in and become just like everyone else,” she continues. “I was against that all the time. I’m going to be myself no matter what.”
Dancing was her vocation. She worked hard: researching, traveling for training, gaining certifications, and, impressively, opening her own dance school in Riyadh, Pulse Performing Arts, in 2019, at the age of 23. Talk about a turnaround.
Dancing still brings Alkhamis the same joy she felt many years ago. “I feel like the perfect word to describe it is freedom. I feel free,” she says. “Even if no one understands what I’m trying to say, it feels good. It’s a form of release and escape for me.” She says that, in her experience growing up in Saudi, dancing was not frowned upon. She wasn’t subject to any backlash or criticism, although plenty remain skeptical of her choice of career.
“I feel people see it as more of a hobby; I’m a ballet dancer, a dance instructor, and I have my own dance studio, but they don’t recognize it as my job. That’s the only struggle,” she says.
There are misconceptions surrounding ballet – which dates back to courtly life of Renaissance Italy and is derived from ‘ballare’ (Latin for ‘to dance’) — in general, Alkhamis believes.
“People think it’s like Zumba or fitness class, where you can go in to lose weight. It’s not. It’s an art form. You’re coming in to really express yourself and to enjoy your time,” she says.
It requires intense focus and ability to ‘be in the moment,’ she adds. “You kind of think of nothing, except the next step and the music. It’s like you’re meditating. My teachers used to always tell me, ‘Whatever you’re feeling, keep it outside the studio. Come in with an open mind and focus on the steps.’”
There is also a psychological element that is needed to truly succeed in ballet, with its incredibly detailed jumps and steps. “If you really want it, you need to be very dedicated and committed to attending classes. You have to do the work,” Alkhamis says. “You need to have the mental capacity to keep going, because ballet is not only about the steps. You’re really using your brain to keep up with the music, switch your muscles, and know what’s coming up next.”
Alkhamis practices contemporary ballet and teaches lyrical dancing and jazz. She has caught the attention of major cosmetic brands, starring in adverts for Sephora Middle East, Estée Lauder, and L’Oréal Paris, among others.
During her free time, she still takes online classes, goes to the gym, and performs stretching and Pilates. Her main focus these days is her studio, where she does things her own way, teaching female students aged from 7 to 35. “The studio really gives a chance for adults to take classes, because they never had that shot when they were children,” she says.
She hopes to expand its reach by putting on a public performance in Riyadh, as well as other cultural activities. But the ultimate dream for Alkhamis is to open a theater and a performing arts center.
Working with her students is where she derives the most satisfaction. “I clearly see their improvement and growth. They see it themselves,” she says. “For example, if a girl gets a turn right just once… Ah! She nailed it. Even if it’s a small improvement, this is what makes me happy.”
