Today we’d like to introduce you to Justyna Barycka.
Justyna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was five, I told my mom that I wanted her to take me to a dance class. So she took me to ballet class, but after a year, I switched to ballroom. And I stayed there until I was 20. I was dancing practically every day, competing on weekends, traveling a lot. So eventually, I got burnt out. I found myself lost and confused because being a ballroom dancer was a huge part of my identity, but at the same time, I didn’t see myself doing that anymore. I felt like I wanted to explore dance and movement more. I simply started going to different dance classes, trying every style I felt drawn to. I was traveling abroad, training a lot, and eventually started working as a professional dancer more and more. Being born and growing up in Poland I was watching all those insane dancers from Los Angeles on Youtube and wishing that one day I could be there. It was a big dream, but for many years it was only that – I didn’t believe in myself strong enough at that time to actually see myself living in LA.
Thankfully, the Universe didn’t let me forget about my dream. I came here for the first time last year and I was having a hard time because I felt like this was THE place, it was my place yet I still had life in Poland – my job, my family and friends… But going back home I already knew I had to start laying out a plan on how to make my dream a reality. At that time I still didn’t know much about the visa process, where to start and how I was going to do all that, but I had courage, big goal and trust in my own abilities. I was scared, but I just decided to jump. I started doing research, talking to people and eventually started the visa process. It was a long, expensive and mentally demanding process that took me almost a year. Even before I started, I had prepared myself for many emotions, struggles and sacrifices. It all paid off. I recently got the visa and I’m signed with Clear Talent Agency. I’m really happy that I bet on myself, but it’s just the beginning. I have a lot of goals to achieve here, but at the same time I’m loving every step of the journey itself. It’s not only a dance journey but also self-discovery and personal growth, which is very important to me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I believe that everything happens not only for a reason but also exactly when it’s supposed to happen. If I’m being honest, living in Poland I was quite miserable for a long time. I didn’t feel like I belonged where I was. I felt like there was more to my life. I graduated in Psychology, so I’m very self-aware, but besides having a degree, psychology is also a big passion of mine. I knew I had to heal myself first in order to level up in life. I started somatic therapy sessions and was really committed to that process even though it was mentally and physically exhausting. I had a lot of traumas to work through. But it made me much stronger, confident and made me realize that we really do have only one life. Being 24 I was thinking it was too late for me to start over as a dancer, but ironically when I was 27, I found the strength to stop thinking and start doing. I’m really lucky to have loving, supportive people in my life, but I also had a lot of negative energy around and I had to learn to deal with that too. Past tense because I feel like I managed to let go of most of that. I read the book ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ by Mark Ronson and one part really resonates with me – it says that all we really want in life is happiness, but a more interesting question is ‘What pain do you want in life? What are you willing to struggle for?’. And I think it’s beautiful because life is not easy. But in most cases we can choose our struggle. And I chose the struggle of starting from scratch on the other side of the world, accepting everything that may come with it, because I knew my purpose, I knew my “why”.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a professional dancer, which means I’m both an artist and an athlete. And I see myself as both. I like the training process – blood sweat and tears, pushing physical boundaries, exploring movement. At the same time I’m a creative and sensitive person. I love being on stage, performing, sharing my art with other people. I’m very passionate about what I do. And because dance is not only my passion but also my career, I’m very serious about it. I would say that I’m really proud of how ambitious and hard-working I am, but I’m also learning how to be more kind to myself and respect my body and mental health. I used to be a perfectionist which caused more bad than good in my life. I would say it’s still somewhere deep inside of me, but I work on that every day. I learned how to find a balance between work and rest, work and life… I’m really proud of the fact that even at times when I feel lost, I have the ability to pause, breathe, and let myself be lost for a while. I journal, do whatever I need, and go back on track. Those pauses are really important to me because that’s when I spend time with myself, growing the most as a person. For a long time, I felt like I had to had a label, identify myself as a ‘certain style dancer’. Now I know that it’s as unnecessary as it’s harmful, especially being a dancer in LA. Even though I love high heels dance, and that’s the style I feel really confident in, versatility is key here. I’m totally fine with that because I thrive in challenges. They make me feel alive.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without my family and friends. They took my dreams as seriously as I did and didn’t let me stop or doubt myself even for a second. Even though most of them is far away from me now, they keep me sane. Moving to a different country is really difficult in the beginning, and only those who experienced that will know what I’m talking about. There’s a lot of uncertainty, anxiety, and loneliness, so you need a strong support system in order to survive. As my mentor Kiira Harper says, ‘It’s more than just dance’. Kiira is an amazing dancer, choreographer, and teacher, but most importantly she’s an amazing and inspiring human being who’s not afraid to be vulnerable. She helped me tremendously to push my mental and physical boundaries, and I will be forever grateful for that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missbari/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUeJiIor-QRaiVOzHullnWw
Image Credits
Alissa Roseborough Oleg Kushnir Zuri Saddai Yelyzaveta Morozova
