Meet Aoibh Ní Riain Broin, a dynamic young dancer from Dublin. She's a long-time fan of the brand so we are so delighted to be collaborating with her! You'll spot her on our social media showcasing some of our fabulous new pieces. Needless to say; we're now her number one fans! We think she's one to watch right now and we just want to know all about Aoibh!
So Aoibh, tell us about your background and training early on.
I grew up in Dublin in a family of 7. At age 4 I decided, like so many little girls, that I wanted to start ballet. As I got a bit older, it developed into something I really loved so I moved to The Debbie Allen School of Dance in Dundrum and also joined the Irish National Youth Ballet. I spent the next 5 years there, dancing as many days of the week as I could. At 15, I left Dublin to train at the Central School of Ballet in London.
Tell us more! We'd love to hear more about how you've got where you are and any challenges you have faced along the way?
In 2015 I was accepted into the Central School of Ballet in London for vocational training. In 2017, during my time in London, I was awarded the ISTD Elizabeth Baines Hewitt award. I also travelled to Prague for the International Ballet Masterclasses and got a full scholarship to the Joffery Ballet Summer School. My final year was spent performing with Ballet Central in their UK tour with a mixed bill performing pieces such as Far by Wayne Mc Gregor and Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty. I graduated in 2018 with a BA Honours Degree in Professional Dance and Performance.
During my training, I suffered from Tendonitis of my flexor hallucis longus. After having scans, ultrasounds, visiting sports physiotherapists and the IADMS in London I was advised to take a few months completely off dancing to help reduce the inflammation and to heal. When I first got this news I didn’t want to believe it, I just wanted to continue dancing. I felt I could push through the pain that I had been dealing with for months already. But I spent the next couple of months in rehab with my physios in school and was able to return to full-time training before the end of my second year.
How do you feel about your current job? Has your situation changed drastically in light of the Covid 19 pandemic?
I am currently dancing with Europaballet in Austria. I have thoroughly enjoyed dancing here and touring around Europe and America with various productions. As I am still young, it has given me opportunities to dance roles that I could never have imagined. It was an honour to perform as Coco in Mythos Coco by Peter Breuer’s production with the Salzburg Ballet. I had the privilege to perform around Hungary and Germany before the Coronavirus put our tour to a stop and I returned home to Ireland to be with my family.
Since being back in Dublin, I have been following along with online classes and workouts in my living room. There are hundreds of classes available online since the pandemic began. My company has been giving us ballet and contemporary classes online each morning to keep us in shape so we will be ready to return to the stage whenever that may be. I am very grateful for this as it has helped me to cope with the drastic change in my lifestyle.
What are your aspirations for your future career?
So, I hope to return to the stage soon and to get back to dancing like we used to. I will never take even a rehearsal for granted again. I would like to audition for some companies in the next season and I hope one day to be lucky enough to dance in some full-length ballets with a top company in Europe.
Last question now...what is your favourite So Danca product?
My favourite thing about the So Danca brand has to be their spilt sole canvas shoes. I have very narrow feet and have always struggled to find flat shoes that were both comfortable and flattering. So Danca has the perfect shoes and I have been wearing them for many years now, I love them.
Want to see more of Aoibh? Make sure to follow our social media pages and see if you can spot her.
