Ballet isn’t a natural thing. It’s kind of unnatural to the body, which makes it incredibly difficult. It’s a challenge that keeps growing. It doesn’t get easier at all. If anything, it gets harder. That’s the great thing about it.
20-year old Isaac Akiba from Jamaica Plain didn’t know when he joined Boston Ballet’s Citydance program as a third grader that he would someday be dancing in the Company’s corps de ballet. Learn more about what motivated Isaac to turn an extracurricular activity into a professional pursuit, and what advice he has for teens who want to take their passions and interests outside of school to the next level.
Rachel Sapin: When did you start dancing?
Isaac Akiba: I started dancing when I was nine-years old through a scholarship program called Citydance. It’s a community program where Boston Ballet teachers and dancers go into the Boston public schools and they audition third graders to come to Boston Ballet twice a week for about an hour; they introduce students to the art of ballet and what it means to dance. From Citydance I was picked to join Boston Ballet School.
RS: Starting the Citydance program as a third grader, did you know then that ballet would someday be your life’s work?
IA: No, I don’t think I knew that. I don’t think little kids think about that so much. I knew that it was challenging and I was very athletic and did well at the sports I played in school. Dance was the most challenging thing I had ever tried and that interested me. I knew that it was fun and enjoyable and I had a lot of friends in the program that I loved to dance with and see.
RS: Was it the challenge of ballet that motivated you to pursue it at such a young age?
IA: I think the challenge of ballet is what motivated me and still motivates me. Ballet isn’t a natural thing. It’s kind of unnatural to the body, which makes it incredibly difficult. It offers me a challenge that keeps growing. It doesn’t get easier at all. If anything, it gets harder. That’s the great thing about it.
RS: You joined Boston Ballet’s pre-professional company Boston Ballet II at 18 years old. Did you ever find it hard to be on a professional track as a middle or high school student?
IA: No, because I love ballet. I love what I do and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Growing up, I never really had the urge to do something else because I was satisfied with what I was already doing. I had time to hang out with my friends and go to movies and do other stuff. If anything school became something I did not want to do [laughs].
RS: Did you find that dance helped you at all in school?
IA: Well it helped me in gym class [laughs]. How it helped me in school I think is that ballet teaches you about discipline. You have to take class everyday and you have to really focus and concentrate to be able to do that. If you need to sit down and do your homework, you kind of already have that discipline to sit down and get it done.
RS: There is so much competition in the ballet world and you climbed its ranks at a young age. Were there ever days when you thought you might not be good enough to keep going with ballet? If so, how did you handle that?
IA: I still have days like that because ballet is so challenging. It can be hard not only physically but mentally. There are some days where I perform badly and I think, "What am I doing? I should just be a janitor.” But I always think to myself that I’m not just going to give dance up. I have to keep trying and see how far I can go and see how much I can push myself. I don’t think I’m ever going to reach my goal. But the important thing is that I have a goal and that I’m trying to get there.
RS: What advice would you give to teens that want to take an extracurricular activity to a professional level?
IA: I think that my advice to teens who are interested in any art form is to see anything out there that’s related to it. I go see other dance companies perform that come to Boston. I like to go and see shows that inspire me; I see a lot of Broadway shows that come into Boston. I just saw "Fiddler on the Roof” this past month and I saw the Trey McIntyre project. I also like to go to New York and see American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet; those are both great companies. I think that’s incredibly important. I also read a lot because to be an artist you have to appreciate other forms of art.
RS: Is there an artist that really inspires you?
IA: In terms of dancers, Baryshnikov would be my main inspiration. But there are also a lot of dancers in Boston Ballet that I look up to: some are younger, some are older and more experienced. I even look up to dancers in the company that are my age and really respect what they do.
RS: You’re busy performing in Boston Ballet’s "The Nutcracker” right now. What do you enjoy most about being in this production?
IA: I’ve been performing in "The Nutcracker” since I was a little kid. People come to "The Nutcracker” for the tradition and to get that feeling of magic and happiness. They come here and see us, and they go home to their family with a smile on their face. That’s very important to me.
Boston Ballet’s "The Nutcracker” runs through December 27th at The Opera House. For more information and to purchase tickets through ArtsBoston, visit www.artsboston.org/event/detail/45543.
Isaac Akiba performing in Boston Ballet’s "Giselle". Photo courtesy of Rosalie O’Connor
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Ballet isn’t a natural thing. It’s kind of unnatural to the body, which makes it incredibly difficult. It’s a challenge that keeps growing. It doesn’t get easier at all. If anything, it gets harder. That’s the great thing about it. 
