All of us wish to stand out from the rest of the crowd and to appear unique and strong individuals who have reached their required goal despite the odds stacked against them. While some people do so for the fame that comes with it, others are driven by their passion and desire to do better with the gifts they have been given. Brittany O’Connor falls under the latter category and has worked as a well-known professional ballerina, though she has had her share of ups and downs in life.

Ever since she was a teenager, Brittany wanted to dance and worked hard to hone her skills to become a dancer. Given that she had a slightly late start in the world of ballet dancing, it took all of her time, energy, and determination to reach a certain level of finesse. After four long years of hard work, she was offered a professional contract from one of the largest ballet companies in Europe, SemperOper Ballet. She worked on several productions for the studio for more than three years, before she decided to travel back to her home country, the USA.

While there, she served as a judge for SHARP International Cheer and Dance Competition for over seven years. The platform holds a variety of dance competitions over the year, at different venues and states. It was while she worked with SHARP that Brittany was presented with an opportunity of a lifetime. She was selected as the lead principal dancer to perform at the Andrea Bocelli World Tour. She would back the amazing vocal talents of Bocelli himself, with her mesmerizing dancing skills. A true testimony of her skills as a dancer, able to convey grace with ease, can be seen during her routine with fellow dancer Paul Barris. She is still a part of the entourage and whenever she has to perform, Brittany is more than happy to express her love for dance on stage alongside Andrea Bocelli.

During this time, she was, once again, asked to be a judge, but this time at the Youth American Grand Prix – one of the world’s largest non-profit international student ballet competitions. She also serves as a mentor to several students, varying from ages 9 to 19, and helps them realize their potential and develop their skills to become professional ballet dancers. Brittany also has her own mentoring program for aspiring dancers, where she helps instill confidence in her students, and teaches them how to trust their bodies to lead them through any dance routine they work on.

Not everything is all rainbows and sunshine when it comes to life, and Brittany is no different. She has had to deal with health issues that no doctor could diagnose for a long time. It wasn’t until she went to a doctor in Paris with her own research that she was finally diagnosed with an illness that was, thankfully, manageable. Apart from that, Brittany also suffers from depression and anxiety, which she had to battle on a daily basis.

Despite that, she greets the new day with a renewed determination in her heart. She has worked too long and too hard to give up, which is what makes her stand out from the rest of the crowd. Although people had told her that it would not be possible for her to reach the same level of professionalism as all the other dancers, Brittany has defied all odds and created her own path in life, one she intends to live to its fullest.

To learn more about Brittany, visit her social media account here.

Photo by: Lorenzo Montanelli