Sarah Guirguis Curious about the lifestyle and journey of Ayat Mahmoud, a much-loved ballet instructor at Adam’s Dance Studio, we talked to her for an inside look of what a ballerina’s life looks like behind doors.
How did you first become a ballerina?
It actually started when I was only six. My parents were intentional about getting me into the Academy of Arts and I was taking tapping classes, when the director of talent development at the Opera House noticed me and told my mother I should become a ballerina. She encouraged her to enter me into ballet school and here I am now.
When did you decide to become an instructor?
I got an offer seven years ago to train at Vogue Center by Shirley Shalaby, and I thought it would be nice to teach out of what I’ve been personally taught. More often than not, you find ballet instructors without much experience or history of a professional career. I felt like I had a lot of material to offer but a challenge that I overcame, especially while working with kids, was learning not to be so strict and tough on my ballerinas as my instructors were with me. We used to train in a very cut-throat environment so I had to loosen up and find a good balance between being professional and friendly at the same time.
Looking back at your opera performance days, how did you prepare for any big show?
You basically know that you will have to practice every single day for a few months. You show up early to warm up, then a one-hour class begins. After a small break, we would practice the actual choreography that we will be performing at the opera. It depends on how familiar we are with the choreography because if we’ve done it before, it doesn’t require that much time. However, if the choreography is new and difficult, we had to start practicing two or three months in advance. Of course, you also have to monitor your diet and make sure you get a lot of sleep. You don’t eat too much because you have to be light as the show approaches and you sleep a lot because you’re constantly exerting a lot of effort.
Do you have an at-home ritual after a long day?
I always jump in for a warm shower to relax my muscles. Then I actually drink some warm milk or lemonade. If I’m up for it, I will stretch a bit to bring my legs back to life, especially if I had been standing on my feet all day.
What is your favorite thing about ballet?
I love the fact that if you can do ballet, you can pick up any other type of dance, whether it be Latin, hip hop or even afro-dance. I love challenging myself and going after something that is not easy for everyone to achieve. It also helps you become more flexible and fixes your posture, which will always make you look good.
What are your favourite soundtracks to dance to?
I really like ‘The Dying Swan’ from Swan Lake. It’s at the top of my list. Then, there’s ‘Spanish Dance’, ‘The Waltz of the Snowflakes’ and ‘The Waltz of the Flowers’ from the Nutcracker.
Any good ballet movies you would recommend?
‘Center Stage’ is a really good one, and I definitely enjoyed ‘Black Swan’.
