About this episode

Nathalia Arja shares her journey from Brazil to becoming a principal dancer at the Miami City Ballet, discussing identity, resilience, and the impact of a career-threatening injury.

Nathalia Arja was 15 years old when she waved goodbye to her mother at the airport in Rio de Janeiro and flew to Miami — alone, speaking no English, with a full scholarship and no room left for fear. Her mother was mortified. Nathalia just didn't make space for it. Years later, she was a principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet when an injury stopped her completely — and the doctors treating her said they had never seen anything like it before. In this episode of Pushing Over the Box, Jasmine Jain sits down with Nathalia Arja — principal dancer with the Miami City Ballet, originally from Rio de Janeiro, and one of the most thoughtful voices in ballet on identity, resilience, and what it means to build a life beyond the studio. They talk about leaving Brazil at 15, learning an entirely new style of ballet, a career-threatening injury that turned into an unexpected creative awakening, and why she believes ballet is a gift — but it is not who you are. TIMESTAMPS: [06:31] Leaving Rio de Janeiro at 15 — Alone, No English, No Fear [14:25] The Injury Doctors Had Never Seen — And What She Found on the Other Side [20:16] Ballet Is Not Your Identity — On Building a Life Beyond the…

People in this episode

Host: Jasmine Jain

Guest: Nathalia Arja

Topics covered

• identity
• resilience
• ballet
• injury
• creative awakening

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Miami City Ballet

Places: Rio de Janeiro, Miami

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