We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fosca Redolfi Tezzat a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Fosca, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My dream was always to be a dancer and move to NYC. And so I did. At 19yo I moved across the world from Venice Italy, all alone tackling the big Apple. Some family/friends from back home thought it would be a “great experience” and told me come back whenever that changes. Fast forward 4 years later living my dream! Often people told me that pursing a career in the arts was “risky” and to that I say you clearly don’t have a passion! For me it’s always been dance or nothing, I would be training 6 days a week, traveling for competitions and being extremely happy. Obviously that comes with a lot of sacrifices that keep testing your choices. But then I think, how boring would it be like if your life felt so predictable? There’s an indescribable thrill of being able to follow your dreams and for this I’m forever grateful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born and raised in a small island (Murano) in Venice Italy. My older sister was taking dance classes and I wanted to be like her so my mom took me. And I never stopped going. I felt so free to be able to get lost in the music and express myself through dance, I couldn’t get enough. My family and I would go on family vacations in resorts that had “evening entertainment” and I was the kid that would be up on stage. When I became a teenager I started coming to the United States to improve my training in cities like Boston, Miami, Chicago etc. Then, while performing in various theaters/venues in Italy my dream was always to come to New York City. And so after the pandemic I made the big move. I am extremely lucky to have such supportive parents that allowed me to move while saying “if you figure it out, go ahead to New York City”. I am most proud to be part of the dance community. It takes a certain type of human to be a dancer especially in a city as competitive as this one. But I’m so proud to call my dance friends family. Our job allows audiences to forget about their lives and enjoy themselves, which in current times is essential. Artists are needed! Dance is beyond just movement, it takes so much discipline and courage to show up for yourself and keep improving daily. That’s why I believe dancers are the most impressive athletes, constantly trying to achieve for “perfection”.

Another part of my story is that as I was becoming a professional in Italy, I had been cross training in the Gyrotonic Method. Gyrotonic is an original and unique movement method created by a dancer that stimulates the nervous system, increase range of motion and improves strength. Back in Venice encouraged from my trainer, I became the youngest certified trainer at 17yo. I am so lucky because I currently get to do both daily in NYC, as I keep on building my career as a dancer.
I am most proud of being able to be in a positive environment and getting to share my passion with audiences. And most definitely proud of the little Fosca that would watch the “older kids” of her dance school in Venice hoping that maybe one day, it would be her turn.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I was 14yo in high school, I knew I needed better dance training. So I decided to make a big sacrifice and started attending a dance academy that was a 2h commute every day. I had to take a boat and a bus (approx 3-4h daily) to train with great teachers. My parents thought it was “just a phase” and that the commute would be too much for me to handle, on top of high school etc. I graduated from the dance academy 4years later. And on top of that I would travel every other Sunday to Milan to train with an incredible teacher and mentor. And of course I had to be a good student too!
I would be lying if I said it was easy, but it was definitely worth it.
Making a choice like that made me even more sure that I wanted to pursue dance professionally and it showed me how resilient I am.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I moved to NYC at 19yo I knew I had to get a part time job as I was pursuing being a professional dancer.
Luckily I had been working as a Gyrotonic Trainer in Italy and as soon as I got to NYC, I started emailing every studio I could find. In the meantime I accepted a job as a cleaner at a dance studio to get discounted classes. Did us dancers want to clean studios at 6am? Of course not! But we all did it, grateful to get to dance after. That taught me that if you really want something, you won’t think twice about what you need to do about getting there. Just do it!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @foscatezzat
• Facebook: Fosca Redolfi Tezzat
• Youtube: Fosca Redolfi Tezzat
• Other: Gyrotonic Trainer under Gyrotonic.com Fosca Redolfi Tezzat

Image Credits

Photography: @Vandyphotography