Since age 6, senior Andrew Kondrich has found a sense of identity on the dance floor, pursuing the career of a professional ballet dancer.

Kondrich began dancing at a school in San Francisco because his mom wanted him to do an activity both artistic and physical. His mom is from Russia, and ballet is a huge cultural activity there.

“I studied with the school, San Francisco Ballet School. It’s connected to the company,” Kondrich said.

Kondrich’s favorite part of the sport is performing. He loves the daily repetitiveness, the time to practice, and he loves refining his technique. He describes the sport as extremely focused.

Kondrich eventually left the San Francisco Ballet School to dance at the City Ballet School. He moved schools because he wanted more opportunities to perform. Since the City Ballet School is a smaller school, there are more opportunities for him to earn principal roles in their productions.

Kondrich says his new school is “very strong,” with many professionals among its list of members.

Kondrich practices 6 days a week and performs 3 times a year. He averages about 22 hours a week devoted to dance, and his performances last upwards of 2 hours, though he is not on the stage the whole time.

Of his future in ballet, Kondrich said, “I want to definitely continue studying in college and then figure out from there.”