Welcome to The Director’s Cut, an interactive column featuring fashion, beauty and career advice from RGNN Director and Founder, @isabelevabohrer.
This took some serious mental stamina. Yasmina Sancayo, former professional ballet dancer at The Royal Ballet School in London, La Scala in Milan, the John Cranko School of Stuttgart and the Víctor Ullate Ballet company here in Spain, ended up in a wheelchair. Seven operations and an arduous recovery journey, she was finally able to walk again. Many people would have given up at this point, or even earlier.
But Yasmina persisted, and is now an inspiration for so many other women. From the stage to a wheelchair, to life again, she founded Ballet Sporty Club, which brings together ballet and wellness, offering classes for both professional dancers, dance students and your everyday girl, who wants to get in shape with the help of Yasmina’s ballet-inspired moves.
As such, she not only trains celebrities such as Paula Echevarría, but has also amassed a significant social media presence, so much so that she is now an Ambassador for Pantene. In an exclusive interview, Yasmina talks all about what happened, how she overcame such a huge physical and mental blow, how to start training like a ballet dancer, as well as getting hands-on with her advice for aspiring content creators. Read on to find out more.
You went from professional dancer to being in a wheelchair – what happened?
From a young age, I suffered from a knee injury due to rhythmic gymnastics. At one point in my career as a dancer, we decided to operate for a simple patellar realignment, but the surgery became complicated.
I ended up undergoing seven surgeries: a fractured tibia, a complete rupture of the patellar tendon, and a patellar tendon repair. The post-operative period was very difficult: nine months in a wheelchair, more than two and a half years on crutches, and then a whole process until I could walk again.
It was then that my physical and mental recovery began, a journey that completely transformed me.
That’s such a hardship to assimilate… how did you overcome this challenge (physically) and learn to walk again?
It was an enormous challenge. At that moment, I decided my only job was to recover my knee and my life. I stayed as positive as possible, did a lot of mental and physical work, and gave it my all to rebuild myself. I had help from healthcare professionals, but also something very valuable: the body awareness and discipline that dance had given me. Thanks to all of that, I was able to walk again and discover a new relationship with my body.
And what about mentally? Not being able to dance on stage again must have been extremely difficult…
That was definitely hard, too. The stage was a part of my life. At first, it’s difficult to accept, or rather, to understand that you’re not going back, that your body has physical limitations, and that no matter how much I wanted to, it wasn’t going to be possible to get back on stage in the same way. You feel sadness, nostalgia… but I also understood that I could continue expressing myself from another place. I found in acting a way to channel emotions and keep my connection to the art world alive. Today I don’t dance professionally on stage, but I continue creating, communicating, and bringing characters to life. That heals me, I enjoy it, and it fulfills me.
Then, you founded Ballet Sporty Club, and now train celebs such as Paula Echevarría. Who can participate in Ballet Sporty Club? Is it only for those who have already taken ballet?
I founded Ballet Sporty Club because I wanted to share what helped me in my recovery: body awareness, discipline, and the transformative power of ballet. It’s not just for dancers. We have two programs:
- Ballet Workout: for anyone, even without prior experience, who wants to train mindfully, gracefully, and safely.
- Ballet Workout Professional: for dancers and dance students looking to enhance their performance and prevent injuries.
Both programs are backed by doctors of health sciences, ensuring effective and safe workouts.
I train many well-known people, like Paula Echevarría, with whom I’ve been working for almost four years. But I also train many others who aren’t in the public eye. Ballet Sporty Club is for everyone. For me, it’s very important to understand exercise as health and a part of your daily routine. I always tell my students that we train for life and that it’s also very important to improve the relationship we have with our bodies and with ourselves.
Many people would love to look like you. But to be realistic, if people want to try your Ballet Workout, how often do they need to train and for how long, in order to see changes?
I really appreciate the compliment, but I always say the same thing: the key is consistency. We live in a world where we want immediate results, but true change comes little by little, with patience and love.
To start, I recommend a minimum of two sessions a week. Those who can train three or four times will see results sooner. And even if you can’t train with me every day, the important thing is to move every day. The body is generous, but also very lazy: if you ask it, it gives; but if you don’t ask it, it stagnates.
You post a lot of exercises on your Instagram, too. For those who have never done ballet and would like to try something at home, could you provide three (3) links to videos that you would recommend for complete beginners?
Absolutely. I would recommend:
#1. A 15-minute workout with no equipment, perfect for starting at home.
#2. An abdominal routine to strengthen the core.
#3. A session focused on legs, to achieve the strength and elegance of a dancer.
As if your ballet achievements weren’t enough, you also won the Influencer Award Spain in the “sports” category. Many of our students are aspiring content creators. If you had to give three (3) tips to students who want to get start as influencers, creating content and working with brands, what would they be?
I don’t know if I’m a great example of a content creator, but I can share what has worked for me:
- Consistency and patience. Growth isn’t immediate. Sometimes you’ll have more time to create, other times less, but the important thing is not to give up and to maintain the connection with your community.
- Be authentic. Publish what you truly are and love. There will always be people who don’t like it, but your authenticity will connect with the people it’s meant to connect with.
- Find your purpose. In my case, I want to inspire people to live healthier and happier lives. If you’re clear about your “why,” the content flows naturally.
Specifically, you were named an Ambassador for Pantene a little under a year ago – a dream for many of our students (and your hair is gorgeous!). What tips do you have for young content creators who aspire to become Ambassadors for a prestigious brand one day?
For me, it was a beautiful moment. Since I was little, people told me I had “Pantene hair,” and when they told me I was going to be one of the ambassadors, it was a joy.
More than advice, I would tell them the same thing I still apply to myself today.
Along this path, I’ve had very different experiences: projects in which we invested a lot of work and enthusiasm, and which, ultimately, didn’t come to fruition. The first time, you feel sad, because when you give your best and then it doesn’t materialize, you ask yourself, “What was the point?” But over time, I understood that all that effort is never lost: it’s part of the process.
I think you shouldn’t get frustrated if a collaboration doesn’t happen at a certain time. Sometimes it’s simply not the right moment, and interestingly, what doesn’t happen today might happen next year or even two years later (it’s happened to me).
The important thing is to keep working consistently, always do good work, and above all, and very importantly, keep your enthusiasm alive.
There’s something I always apply to myself: life is movement. Just like in dance, there are steps forward and steps back, but the dance never stops. For me, it all boils down to a personal motto: “Dance Beautifully.” Dance beautifully when you work, when you talk to yourself, when you interact with others. Because in the end, what matters isn’t just the goal, but the way you choose to move through life, enjoying the process.
Yasmina Sancayo teaches in La Moraleja and in La Finca. She also offers programs online. Visit balletsportyclub.com for more information and follow her on social media @yaskerr and @balletsportyclub.
Questions or comments? Follow me on IG @isabelevabohrer or TikTok and say hi! See you soon!
