Daily Inspiration: Meet Masha Cherezova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Masha Cherezova.

Hi Masha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As many young girls, I had always dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina. I remember watching the Nutcracker almost everyday in the living room, dancing all the parts in my favorite dresses. By 11 years old I was committed to making this dream a reality–I begged my mom to find a professional ballet school and began training everyday including weekends. After high school I landed a contract with the Novosibirsk Theatre of Opera and Ballet–I finally felt fulfilled. In Russia, I danced through all the classical ballets I had ever dreamt of and shared the stage with ballet stars I looked up to; Denis Rodkin, Evgenia Obraztsova, Natalia Osipova, and others. It wasn’t easy, and I definitely abused my body in many ways: overexercising, overstretching, diet restrictions; I had a few anemic episodes, but quickly resolved it with iron supplements and diet. Other than that, I loved my life in Russia–I felt like I was touching history. Going into my third year, I began to have anemic signs again, but this time the iron supplements didn’t work. I was getting ready to perform in Swan Lake, and I felt the most fatigue in my life, my arms and legs would tingle, and on top of that I developed giant bruises all over my legs. During the show, I had a moment where I couldn’t get up on pointe–I had never felt this–I knew something was really wrong. The next day I got my blood tested–I fainted during the drawl–and that evening I got a call informing me that I have to be hospitalized immediately. At the hospital they took many different tests, they called my mom to explain what was going on, but they never stopped to explain to me. I finally caught on and the next day I called my mom and asked her if I had cancer–she said yes. At 21, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Siberia. After the first month of chemotherapy in Russia, I flew back to California and finished my treatments at City of Hope.

Today, I am three years cancer free! My diagnosis has led me towards the path of creating and choreographing. I have a story and vision to share, and the best way for me to tell it is through movement. Since 2024 I have been a guest choreographer and teacher with the OncoBallet Foundation–bringing dance to cancer patients and survivors as an outlet for mental and physical healing. In 2024, I created an emotional piece, Flock, that gave the opportunity for cancer patients and survivors to perform on stage alongside professional dancers. Flock premiered in September 2024 as part of the SoCal Ballet 2024 Festival. And this October, I created a new piece for OncoBallet Foundation that was sponsored by La Roche Posay as a commission for their Healing Power of Touch line of skin care. This piece brings together three professional dancers (two cancer survivors and one caretaker) with a cast of 30 OncoBallet participants to explore the different types of support systems: internal, external, and communal. Currently I have been nominated to manage and lead a fundraising campaign with the Blood Cancer United organization for March-June of 2026.

Based in L.A., I choreograph, direct, lead dance classes and private lessons across the city. My work has been showcased at esteemed venues such as the L.A. Dance Project, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, and others. My work also extends to film, notably choreographing Laufey’s Silver Lining music video with 10 dancers, and movement directing for DJI at the 2025 NAB show. In 2023 and 2025, I was the resident choreographer at V&T Classical Ballet Academy, choreographing Lemons? and Tempore, two original evening-length works. And am currently the Resident Air choreographer for OCSA.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I struggled a lot as a young ballet student, I was always too tall for most ballet companies, I didn’t have natural physical inclination towards ballet, and hadn’t trained at an established ballet school, but rather had my training from local ballet schools and private teachers (Ballet Arte in San Diego, V&T Classical Ballet Academy, and private teacher Alla Khaniashvili). However, I kept working hard, instead of doing regular high school activities, like Prom, clubs, etc., I chose to practice ballet more.

Once I landed my first contract in Russia, I had no second thoughts about moving and leaving my family and friends. I loved my time in Russia, but I did develop a few health issues while there. I first had several anemic episodes, something I never had before. I learned that it was crucial for me to eat red meat and other vitamins. And of course, my sudden and unexpected leukemia diagnosis caused me to leave my dancing position in Russia.

I didn’t know what to expect from a leukemia diagnosis, I thought that it would only take 2-4 weeks to get treated. But I was very wrong, and slowly I began to learn that it would take a very long time and that I would have to stop dancing, leave Russia and lose my entire ballet dream. I was stubborn for most of my treatment, and continued to practice some ballet at home and stretch, I was determined to not lose my skills. My biggest fear was to have everything that I worked for my entire life slip away from. However, as months went by, I began to realize that I will have to redirect my life. It was scary to think about, because dancing in a ballet company was what I had wanted and worked for since I was 11-years old. This is when I started to consider choreography.

Choreographing was a journey of itself–I struggled with confidence, imposter syndrome, and frustration. I had many moments of frustration because it felt like I had gone backwards in my skills–meaning that I had achieved a level of professionalism in ballet, but choreography is a different mind and muscle to train, and one that I still need to train.

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 am choreographer and director. First and foremost, my work is about authenticity and uncovering personal stories and experiences. Stylistically, my work embodies a surreal reflection of the world I experience—beautifully exaggerated, allegorical, and unworldly in atmosphere. My tools are the human body and the forces of nature that I bend, shape, and explore to convey stories that are rich with emotion. My work stems from classical ballet as a technique to build upon by introducing movement aesthetics of different dance and movement styles, including the virtuosity of gymnastics and the freedom of figure skating. My artistic pursuit is to create a world with expressive bodies that speak about human experiences more truer than what words do.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see a lot of shifts in ballet and dance institutions recognizing more dance styles and inviting choreographers from unconventional backgrounds to make pieces on their classically trained dancers. Before, these companies and theatres only recognized classically trained choreographers. I also see dance collaboration with film to grow stronger. Dancers are being seen in commercials and films more and more, and it’s not just freelance dancers, but also dancers from established institutions. Before, ballet companies didn’t want anything to do with the commercial world, it was looked down upon. But now I see more ballet dancers in commercials and in films.

Pricing:

• Contact me directly for any private lessons or choreography inquiries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.balletclasse.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mashacherezova/?hl=en

Image Credits
Darian Volkova, Yulia Mikheeva, Isaak Morin, Tyler Fukuda, Emerson Duggan