About

Where my journey began, and how I got here now...

About me

My Story

Hi! My name is Cassidy Doan, and I am a seventeen-year-old aspiring ballet dancer from Southern California. My love for the art of ballet began at the early age of three, when I took my first dance class. To say that I immensely enjoy dancing would be an understatement. In fact, I don't think I've enjoyed anything as much since I started dancing. My dreams of becoming the very first Vietnamese-American professional ballerina in America fuels my passion. The high demand for athleticism and dedication in this rare and uncommon art-form has always taught me to embody a strong work ethic from a very young age. I've have been very fortunate to train with some of the most prestigious ballet schools in the nation. These academies have provided me with a variety of technical and artistic knowledge to grow my reputation, social platform, and resume as an emerging artist and prospective student.

Since my very first ballet class, I have been dancing for a total of fourteen years, but I didn't start my professional dance career until I was twelve years old. I've had the privilege to be mentored

by many notable ballet professionals including Salwa Rizkalla, Claudio Muñoz, Lauren Anderson, Larissa Saveliev, Christopher Powney, Lauren Anderson, and more. Over the years, I've considered my love for dance as more than a hobby -- it's also my medium of expression. I've dedicated a lifetime of passion, talent, and hardworking to the art by bringing the stage to life in every performance. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to dance lead roles in a wide variety of famous productions such as Clara in The Nutcracker and other solos in Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, and more. I've always tried to leave an impactful impression behind as I've continued to expand my ballet repertoire.

In 2018, I was awarded second place in the ballet division at Youth American Grand Prix in Los Angeles, the world's largest global competition for dance. YAGP then personally invited me to participate in its New York Finals --- an event where all of the world's most promising dancers compete for professional opportunities from dance companies around the globe. I was the very youngest in my age division (being only fifteen at the time) and danced against older dancers up to the age of nineteen. My determination and hard work paid off when I met with Houston Ballet II's artistic director, Claudio Munoz, about a scholarship opportunity to train with the academy's professional division. I was one of two recipients out of more than 3000 dancers to receive a full scholarship from Houston Ballet Academy's professional year-round program.

At the age of fifteen, I moved to lived in Houston, Texas and lived 1,500 miles away from my home and family, all by myself. I had no one to rely upon in Texas, other than my international roommate. I had to cook my own meals, manage all of my asynchronous work for school, find my own means of transportation around the city, do all of the domestic chores in my apartment, buy my groceries, connect with dance professionals across the globe, and other essentials— all by myself. I was a young fifteen-year-old girl living the life of an adult. Because of my passion for dance, I had to sacrifice my normal high school experience and childhood. My rigorous schedule consisted of six days a week, from 8am to 4pm, which sometimes totaled up to more than forty hours per week.

I may not be your typical high school student, but I did take a risk and left home at an early age to pursue my dreams. My time in Houston, Texas, has been an experience of a lifetime... It is inexplicable for me to describe the plethora of opportunities that Houston Ballet has provided for me. Leaving home at an early age has taught me be responsible, mature, and independent so I can thrive in the future. The discipline I’ve learned from a young age as a dancer has translated into many aspects of my academic education. Furthermore, I have shared my love for ballet with the community by committing to more than 250 hours volunteering and performing in free community outreach programs for young children and the economically disadvantaged. Whilst training rigorously on a daily basis, I try to epitomize the role of a scholar artist by maintaining a perfect GPA and serving the community. To this day, I am deeply humbled by the many opportunities that ballet has presented to me, and I will continue to seek to master the art of dance.