Name: Sophie Poulain
Where are you from? I’m originally from Canada but right now I am living in Florida, USA so that I’m able to train with my amazing coach!
What kind of athlete are you? I’m a dancer but my main focus is on classical ballet.
What is your day job? I’m not old enough to have a job, so I guess my day job is school. Right now I’m training 6-8 hours a day so I do online school in order to accommodate my training schedule! I’m getting ready for a career as a professional ballet dancer so it’s really important that I get the training I need!
How long have you been participating in dance? I started dancing when I was 3 years old and I’ve absolutely loved it from the very beginning! I really started to take it more seriously two years ago when I was 14.
Who is someone you look up to? Olga Smirnova is definitely a huge inspiration to me. I’m in awe of how beautiful and emotional her dancing is. I also admire the work ethic and dedication that Russian ballerinas put into their art form in general. I really aspire to achieve that level of dedication myself.
What got you excited about dance? When I was just a toddler my mom brought me to see The Nutcracker and I absolutely fell in love! I cried when it finished because I didn’t want to stop watching and once I got home I played the CD non stop! I guess I’ve been hooked ever since!
What is your training regimen? I start my day with a private lesson which consists of a bit of a ballet class and rehersal of my variation. (For people who don’t know ballet to well, a variation is pretty much my dance routine that I take to competitions) Next I have a ballet class and a pointe class where I work on my technique. Then I have a break. In the evenings I have a conditioning class for strength followed by a second ballet class and then a partnering class. I train 5 or 6 days a week and my schedule stays pretty consistent!
What does a perfect day look like to you? A perfect day for me would be a day where I am able to keep a very positive mindset and accomplish some short term goals/reach new milestones in my training. The reason I love ballet and dance so much is because of days like that; days where I am consumed by my passion and days where I can finally execute a new movement. It might seem simple but I find it very satisfying.
Do you find your diet to be crucial part of your lifestyle? As a dancer, a relatively significant part of my career revolves around my physical condition. It’s important that I eat a diet that allows me to stay thin but also strong. An example of what I eat in a day would look a bit like this:
Breakfast- a piece of toast with almond butter and banana
Lunch- a Kind bar and a smoothie
Dinner- chicken, broccoli, and peas
Aside from dancing, how do you care for yourself? The simplest rules to live by when you’re trying to thrive are: sleep enough, eat and drink enough, keep your physical activity in check, and keep your mental state healthy! That last one is really important and I think it’s often overlooked. If your mental state isn’t good it’s impossible to thrive and it makes it really difficult to improve and grow everyday. I am always working to take better care of myself and if I skip out on any of the things I listed above, it becomes 100x harder to do it properly.
What is your impression of the Silipos Gel Foot Cover? The Silipos Gel Foot Cover has been great for pointe work! I’ve tried many different kinds of toe pads and these are most definitely my favourite. I really love that this product not only protects my toes and metatarsal from the impact and stress of pointe work, but it also has mineral oil gel integrated into it which I’ve not seen in other similar products! I was very impressed by the quality of the product and I most definitely plan on using it on a regular basis!
Would you recommend the Silipos Gel Foot Cover? I would absolutely recommend the Gel Foot Cover not only to other dancers but to anyone who is in need of something to protect their feet from high stress activities! It’s been great in helping me keep my feet healthy and unharmed and I believe it would be extremely beneficial to other people as well.
What is a piece of advice you have for aspiring athletes? Never stop perusing you’re dreams no matter the circumstances. As long as what you’re doing makes you happy, don’t allow anyone or anything to interfere. If I stopped dancing at the first obstacle I encountered I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today! As long as you work hard, anything is possible.
You can continue to follow Sophie’s journey through life by following her on her social channels!
Instagram: @sophieballerina02
