Student Spotlights: Making Dreams Happen

Continuing our Student Spotlight series– and in the spirit of the Holidays– we bring you the story of Hannah Potter, a dancer currently in a rendition of The Nutcracker. She’s a full-time Primavera student and well on her way to stardom!

Hannah Potter, 17

Hannah says she became interested in Primavera because of the unique schedule. Being able to take two classes at a time and focus really appealed to her. She shares her story with us as she prepares for opening night.

“I began taking ballet classes when I was five years old. By the time I was eight I decided that this is what I really loved to do and wanted to spend all my time at the studio taking classes. I had an amazing ballet teacher who was a professional ballerina in Russia. She instilled in me a very strong work ethic and always encouraged me to believe that I could also become a professional ballerina if I devoted enough time and energy,” says Hannah.

That encouragement helped Hannah focus on following her dream but soon enough, things got a little tricky.

“As I progressed in ballet there came a time when I needed to spend up to six hours a day at the studio and needed to travel for international competitions and auditions in order to further my goals. However, with so much of my day spent in classes and time spent doing homework in the evenings; it would not be possible to do both,” says Hannah.

This is when, she tells us, her parents decided traditional school would no longer work and began looking for other options for Hannah and found Primavera.

Hannah says the benefits of attending Primavera are the flexible two-class schedule and that she can learn at an accelerated pace. She also likes the flexibility her teachers provide and the live lessons.

“During this past summer the opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a professional dancer happened when I was offered a contract to join a ballet company as their youngest member! Thanks to the flexibility of Primavera I was able to pursue that opportunity and finish high school at the same time. I am so extremely happy and excited for my future!”

Hannah says after graduating from Primavera, she hopes to continue her ballet career as well as attend an online college.

“Primavera helps me succeed by allowing me to have a flexible schedule that works around my other goals.”