On Point

Once a top ballerina, Carrie Berk, 14, took a leap of faith to follow her heart—and discovered her next act.

- Carrie Berk

From the time I was old enough to walk, I was dancing. I took my first ballet class in diapers, barely able to stand on tippy-toes. I remember pirouetting around my living room in a tutu, imagining what it would be like to be a real ballerina. I went through 10 years and five levels of pre-professional classes, eventually landing my dream role of Clara in a New York City production of The Nutcracker when I was 12.

As I took my bows on stage with the Sugar Plum Fairy, it felt like I had climbed a mountain and reached the top. This was everything I had ever wanted. But the next day and in the days that followed, I asked myself, “Now what?”

My ballet school had always been my second home. My friends there were my closest confidantes and we had so much in common—it was like being in a secret club or sorority. If I was having a bad day, they knew exactly what to say to lift me up. But as we progressed up the levels, the instruction got more intense, the hours became longer (I was in class five days a week)…and my love for ballet began to fade.

For so long, I had challenged myself to make it work. Sweating at the barre for 12 hours a week when I also had homework, tests and papers to write? Sure. Turning down parties, hangouts with friends and extracurriculars because there was simply no time for anything else? Of course.

But I’ll never forget the Halloween night I spent in pointe class, finally leaving in tears because I missed trick-or-treating with all my friends. It might seem like a silly thing to get upset over, but it felt huge to me at the time—like I was constantly missing out on all the little things that made life fun.