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Power Women

REKA GYULAI

A Ballerina’s Life

By Jacqui Busick

Photos courtesy of California Ballet

“Getting up in the morning who recognized her talent and upcoming Cinderella, she men-
sometimes is hard for all of convinced her, at age 10, to try tioned its music, as well.
us right? But you go in there out at the big ballet school in “This is going to be some-
you warm up, the music starts Budapest, the Hungarian Dance thing new and very beautiful,”
going, and [I think], ‘We are Academy where she trained she said. “And the music is very
fortunate to be doing this.’” until she was 19. passionate.”
Through 12 years of experi- The Hungarian Dance Gyulai joined California prevent injuries with dancers.
ence as a professional ballerina, Academy was a few hours from Ballet as a principal dancer in "What I feel like now is
Reka Gyulai, 32, has not only her home, and though Gyulai 2015 and will have the role of [that] I am at the top of my
learned how to dance with saw her parents once a week, Cinderella this April. Choreo- career, and I would never allow
excellence, but how to live as she was incredibly homesick for graphed by the new Artistic Di- myself to let that go," she said.
a human being with that same her first few years. rector, Jared Nelson, the ballet is "I just want to see how far I
excellence. She views herself "Even in the ballet classes highly anticipated. can go, how much more I can
and her art with grace, and sometimes I cried. I'm very Gyulai works hard for improve."
approaches it all with a wisdom emotional with music, so beau- what she loves. In her early At the California Ballet,
that will sustain her in the years tiful music drives me a lot," she years at the Hungarian Dance the dancers work five days a
to come. said. When she was homesick, Academy, her love of her family week, unless they are near-
Currently, Gyulai is a prin- it was the music that brought almost kept her from continu- ing a performance and they
cipal dancer at the California out her tears. "I heard this ing in ballet. She went home will rehearse on weekends, as
Ballet. From Hungary, she has beautiful piano music in the one weekend and cried to her well. Normal weeks, Monday
danced professionally in the ballet class, and I just started parents, wanting to quit, but her through Friday they will have
United States since she was 19 crying. And that happened dad would not let her because a one-and-a-half hour class
years old with various compa- several times." he knew the teachers said she in the morning, followed by a
nies. “If I ever choreograph, the was good. four-hour rehearsal in the af-
Gyulai began dancing first idea for me always comes “I’m very thankful for him ternoon. Their days end at 3:15
when she was five years old. from the music. I’m very mu- because I’m very fortunate to do p.m., at which time Reka says
She said it was her first teacher sic-driven.” what I love and I love ballet. I that she will either go home
in her hometown, Veszprem, When asked about the learned to like it as I was getting and do some more exercises,
much better at it and I enjoyed or force herself to rest if it is an
it –– I enjoyed the challenges extra busy rehearsal week.
with it,” she said. “I am very serious about
Gyulai said she has ques- my regimen that I do on an
tioned her path at several points hourly or a daily or a weekly
throughout her journey, yet she basis,” said Gyulai. However,
has also had points of utmost that wasn’t always the case. One
clarity. When she was 17, she of the most important parts of
knew that dancing in the Unit- becoming a successful ballerina
ed States was what she would is learning how to take care of
be doing with her life after a oneself. Over the years Gyulai
summer program at the North has had to learn how to best
Carolina School of the Arts. take care of her body, through
If she were not doing ballet food, stretching and exercises
now, she would either be work- –– and today this is the focus of
ing with animals or working to her daily attention.

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