We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Callie Leinbach. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Callie below.

Callie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was two years old, my mom enrolled me in ballet/tap at our local community center. I was super excited to perform for my family at my recital. I said hi to all of my family members when I stepped on the stage. It was evident that I loved dancing, so my mom enrolled me at a dance studio. After a few years of dancing recreationally, at the age of five I was invited to be on the competition team! I took the opportunity with so much excitement. Over the next few years, I lacked encouragement from some of my dance teachers, which did hurt but I decided to use that as a reason to improve myself. I kept being told that over the next five years. When I was thirteen, I decided to find a new studio that was a better fit for me. From the minute I walked into Campaneria Ballet School, the atmosphere was completely different. The teachers, the students, the support, everything was just completely different. I was invited to attend the pre-professional ballet program at when I was thirteen. This was a huge opportunity and commitment. It took a ton of convincing to let my parents to allow me to homeschool for this program but I’m so glad it paid off. I have been in this program for three and a half years now and it’s still surreal. They saw the potential that the teachers from my old studio didn’t see. I also attend a pre-professional contemporary program at Threehouse Studios, located in Durham. My dream since I was little has always been to be a dance teacher and I never imagined that by the age of sixteen I would be living that dream. In just over a year, I have taught at three local dance studios. I love watching the kids grow and improve. I think it’s really important to show the kids how much I support them and how proud I am of them. Being a dance teacher is such a rewarding job. Now I am seventeen years old, I’m a senior in high school, and I have accomplished so much more than I ever would have expected. My biggest piece of advice would be follow your dreams, you never know how close they actually are.

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’m a seventeen year old pre-professional dancer. I currently teach at two local dance studios. Over the last year, I have been working on growing my social media accounts. I currently have 45k+ followers on my Instagram (@_callie.alyssa_) and 24k+ followers on TikTok (@_callie.alyssa_). I started dancing when I was two years old and ever since, my passion for dance has grown tremendously. I would say a big part of getting to where I am now has been connections. The dance world seems pretty big, but honestly it isn’t. Everyone knows everyone. It is always important to put your best self out there and to leave a good impression.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being a dancer, there is always room for improvement. We are trained to make everything look easy when it takes so much hard work and dedication to achieve the skills we want. I would say the most rewarding part of being a dancer is coming off stage and feeling proud of your performance. Last competition season, I remember coming off stage after competing my solo and feeling genuinely proud. On top of that, I had a few strangers come out of their way to tell me how good I did. That was definitely my “I made it moment.” On the other hand, I am also a dance teacher. I think the most rewarding part of being a dance teacher is seeing the kids gain confidence in their dancing. Dance is challenging, and I know it, and these kids are learning it too. But they are learning that hard work pays off, which is a valuable life lesson. Another rewarding aspect of being a dance teacher is the love I receive. A hug, or a card, or a Christmas present, or even a “I missed you”, these all seem like small gestures, but they mean the world to me.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is all about your audience. What do they want to see? Do they prefer videos or pictures? What kind of content do they interact the most with? These are all important questions to keep in the back of your mind when dealing with social media. Growing your account can be hard, it can feel like you are stuck in the same place, or maybe even losing followers. The Instagram algorithm is constantly changing and sometimes you have no idea why your post isn’t being pushed out to your followers. Making connections and creating interesting content is a crucial part of social media. Ask your audience questions, interact with them. How was your day? What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? What kind of content do you want to see on my page? Getting an understanding of what they want to see is what will help you grow your page! Feel free to DM me on Instagram @_callie.alyssa_ if you have any questions.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_callie.alyssa_/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@_callie.alyssa_?_t=8WrJwjZNaqg&_r=1 https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/callie-leinbach.html

Image Credits
NC Dance Ambassadors Hooguh Marketing