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

Dani, appreciate you joining us 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.

What is risk, but a choice that has a great potentiality to throw us into an area of unknown cause-and-effect? We run risk every day by the choices we make. We run a risk by falling in love, saying yes to engagement. We run a risk by signing a new apartment lease or a contract for a new job. We run a risk by investing our last several hundred dollars into an investment or a plane ticket to somewhere we’ve never been – because we’re seeking something on the other side of familiarity. To me, taking a risk is opening up to growth – artistically, mentally, physically, spiritually. A lesson will most definitely make itself clear once the risk is taken, and the effect happens.

If you really want to go for growth, especially in your career or as an artist, risk is nearly inevitable.

I could write a book on the risks I’ve taken in life – and maybe someday I will – but I’ll share the most recent one with you as of late: the biggest risk I’ve taken most recently has been showing up to the world as I really am.
I took over 7 years off from being a ballet dancer after knee surgeries that (apparently) ended my career. In early 2021, I decided to start taking beginning ballet classes despite my surgeon’s warning that I didn’t have an ACL in my left knee, and couldn’t step into a ballet class again. Two years later, I’m just getting off stage performing an excerpt from a classical ballet called “Giselle.” I wouldn’t recommend to everyone not to listen to your surgeon telling you that you can’t dance, but I heeded my own intuition on that. Yes, I realized I’m running the risk of re-injuring myself again. But once I committed to Pilates and swimming alongside my ballet classes, and avoiding certain steps: so far, so good. Since I made the choice to dance again, I Was recently offered to dance in the Nutcracker as a professional this year. Wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t trust my instincts to find directors and teachers who were willing to work with me and my weird knee.

The biggest risk I’ve taken is really started to show up in the world as who I a: someone who didn’t get into Botox or plastic surgery to cover up the face that I was made fun of for years and years; for wearing tights and a leotard and pointe shoes and owning my body type as a ballerina who had experienced verbal shame and rejected countless times for my looks alone. For showing up and trying to be the best colleague, friend, partner, director, and choreographer for everyone around me when I’ve experienced so much heartbreak, falling-outs, cheating and betrayal; to wear my heart on my sleeve not to gain sympathy or advice, but truly because I understand, I care, and I want to create safe environments for my dance students. I want the colleagues I’ve co-produced with to feel they can trust me and lean on me to get the job done.

When facing risk, I’m not one to succumb to fear although I may feel it – and I feel it often, admittedly. I just performed on stage recently as Giselle, which is a highly challenging classical ballet role itself , and we were only doing a portion of act 1; I was nervous and starting to doubt myself moments before I went on stage, but I chose to let my heart lead my dancing instead. That was a risk. Saying yes to my recent engagement to the love of my life was a risk. Taking on a set of nearly 20 dancers to choreograph a ballet on was a risk. Walking up to someone and introducing yourself to say hello is also a risk.
I’m obsessed with living a fulfilled life – and I’ve found that growth and

I’ve been stepping up and throwing myself out there again as a dancer, a producer, an actress, an EA (exec. assistant). Despite all the labels, it’s really a culmination of owning who I am – flaws, quirks, and all – jumping back into being a professional dancer who’s mindful of a permanent knee injury; balancing several forms of work in multiple career fields without giving up any of them. As a professional, I’ve come to accept that I am NOT a “Type A” personality. I used to try to fit in this box when I was bouncing between office jobs. I started leaning into the fact that perfectionism doesn’t exist in any environment – creative or business – and I started, quite literally, working from that place.

I can say this: taking risks can lead to a fulfilling life. I’m not saying you should be making risky choices every hour of the day and throwing yourself into danger (save that one for adrenaline junkies, I suppose). But when you feel like life is leaning into a shift, or something’s gotta give and you know it, taking a risk is probably going to give you the open door you need.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I run by a multitude of labels: I’m a ballerina who recently got back into dancing professionally; I’m a choreographer; I’ve been an executive assistant for nearly 6 years helping a philanthropist run her business and personal life; I’m also a film producer, an actress, and a kids’ ballet & yoga instructor!

Overall, I call myself a producer to sum up everything. I’ve learned my superpower is helping make things happen for others. I’m very solution-oriented and truly believe there is a way to make everything work; when I choreograph, I tell my dancers to let me know of an injury or something that doesn’t feel right, because we’ll change the step. In business, I do my best to be “with the program” and on top of things to ensure efficiency and so others can trust that the job is getting done. For producing, I have found my ability to overthink and consider 1000 details at once to be the key to truly make something happen.

I also enjoy connecting people and pulling them together. Like, I’ll meet someone new and have a thought of “oh, they would get along with my one friend who’s another actor…” And I’ll have them introduced. That’s how I connected one of my director friends to one of my co-producer dancer friends whom I just made a dance film with. They hit it off over a year ago, and long story short, now that film is currently screening in film festivals!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes. I’ve learned that giving back and giving away is the true intention behind any creative project that I join in on. When I was a younger dancer, I experienced so much rejection, shame for my “body type,” had roles pulled out from me last minute, etc…the heartbreak I used to feel would knock me down so bad, and I never wanted someone to feel what I went through again. I’ve brought this into my teaching for my young dance students — I teach them the way I wish I were taught when I was younger. When I choreograph, I allow dancers of any level to be in my pieces. I don’t want to turn someone away just because they’re not at a certain level of technique. I don’t like “gatekeeping” from others. As I’ve healed my knee on my journey back to being a professional ballet dancer, I’ve shared with other dancers my methods and tips for strengthening and conditioning. I keep toying with the idea of starting a fitness-based class that’s intended to help adult dancers with strengthening for ballet. Maybe I’ll jump on that boat soon.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Maybe. To an outsider, I probably look like someone who’s all over the place with everything I’m doing. But beneath the surface, I’ve got this thing in the back of my mind where I want to do as many creative things as possible in my lifetime. I don’t want to be laying on my deathbed someday and wishing I had just gone for some of the crazy ideas I’ve had.

Someone probably thinks I’m nuts for getting back into ballet with a permanent semi-injury, but I think we have to take a step back and start thinking outside the box for our own answers to healing and working with our limitations.

And then you come across some people who are limiting with their own beliefs – that maybe I’m “too old” to be back into dancing. Or doing anything else creative. I think creativity and art fuels a deeper sense of life for everyone – and part of this fun is defying odds and breaking the norm.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dani.savka

Image Credits
Christina Russo Photography