Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea-liis Mustkikkas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrea-Liis, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’m a professional dancer and choreographer from Estonia. It’s a very small country in Europe and most people have never even heard about this country before. I started my professional dance career when I was in high school. I was working with different artists in Estonia and I got many amazing opportunities to perform on stages and be a part of music videos/commercials. During my last high school years I started travelling to attend dance camps and train with world-known choreographers in Amsterdam, Greece, Berlin, London, New York etc. Training outside of Estonia made me realise that there are so many more opportunities for me to pursue dance professionally than my home country has to offer.

I’ve always looked up to artists and dancers in America. My dream has always been to dance for big artists. My first trip to New York truly opened my eyes to the real dance industry. I was amazed by the dedication and level of dancers there and It felt like I belonged there.

After I finished high school I decided to take a next big step in my life towards my goals. I found a program that took me back to New York City. I packed my two suitcases and flew two the other side of the world. I was scared and didn’t really know what I was doing but I was excited to dance and start a new chapter in my life. I have to say that It wasn’t easy for sure. I had to start my life all over again without knowing anything or anyone and it felt like the real training started here.

It has been the best decision of my life to move to New York. I’ve been in every choreographers class here, built some amazing connections and got so many great opportunities that have taken me closer to my dreams as a professional dancer. I’ve made so many new friends here that I can share my struggles and highlights with and I’m truly grateful that I get to be a part of New York dance community and live in the city of dreams.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a professional dancer and choreographer. I started my dance career in Estonia which is my home country. I discovered my love and passion for dance before I started high school. I was taking several dance classes every day and I spent all my free time at the dance studio to practise. I was watching a lot of performances and class videos from YouTube and learned different choreographers routines from there. I started getting more recognition from my dance teachers and I was offered to start teaching my own dance classes when I turned 16 years old. I made great connections with different dance teachers and got some amazing opportunities to perform on big stages with different Estonian artists. I’ve danced and choreographed for live performances, music festivals, live television, theatre, commercials, campaigns and music videos. I truly enjoy being on stage/on set and It never feels like work for me. Dance as a career is very hard mentally and physically but the outcome always brings me so much joy and fulfilment. Dance gives me so much freedom to express myself and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else for work. Being born and raised in a country like Estonia with so little opportunities has never stopped pursuing dance as a professional career. I´ve always found a way to grow and develop as a performer and being from a small country has never stopped me from dreaming big.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to dance for artists on big stages and music videos. My biggest dream as a dancer is to go on a tour one day with my favourite artist. I feel like stage is my place and the feeling I get from it is indescribable. I’m taking small steps every day to get closer to these goals and I’m hoping to get signed with an agent one day.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Being a dancer has it’s beauty and pain. Even if you’re being surrounded by so many people every day in dance classes, rehearsals, on set etc it can feel really lonely sometimes. The amount of birthdays and occasions I’ve missed for dance might be hard to understand for some people. Moving to the other side of the world away from my closest friends and family to pursue my dreams is one of the hardest things for me and I struggle with that everyday.
This industry is tough and it takes a lot mentally and physically but I feel like if this is what you really want to do in your life it’s all worth it. You have to keep going and enjoy the beauty and the pain that it takes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrea.liis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009441507253

Image Credits

Martin Kosseson
Mari Makarov
Harry Tiits
Capturecreative.inc