Meet Izaskun Cardoso Sánchez

Dancer and nurse
Born in Madrid (Spain)

“Life without dreams has no meaning”

“I am a nurse in the afternoons and a dancer all day. The engine of my life is ballet, I wanted to dance since I can remember. I like helping others and caring for others, so when my artistic life allows me to do so, I am a nurse. Two facets that at first sight have nothing to do with each other, but in me, they go together, in one I take care of the body and in the other I take care of the soul.”

Izaskun knew from a very young age that she would do the impossible to achieve her dream of becoming a professional dancer. After a lot of hard work, effort, and the need to emigrate, she achieved it and she is currently a classical dancer in a theatre in Kaunas (Lithuania).

Izaskun grew up in the mountains of Madrid and Collado Villalba where she was introduced to the world of dance at the early age of 8 when her mother enrolled her in Sevillanas and ballet classes. She took her first steps as a dancer with Arancha González Albizua, teacher and director of the school who taught her discipline and, without realizing it, marked her life and made her discover her passion for ballet.

From that moment on she realized “that she could not live without dancing”. Her family did not hesitate to make sacrifices so that she could attend her classes, which she did not miss even when she was ill.

“She wanted to be a dancer. I didn’t really know how to do it, but I knew I would do the impossible until I achieved it”, Izaskun recalls. “It wasn’t an easy path, I often felt like I was fighting against the tide in a society where the world of the arts is underestimated and if you don’t study a real career, you’re nobody”.

After years of struggle, sacrifice and training, she thought she would not make it and at the age of 20 she threw in the towel and began to study nursing. “Although it was a career I enjoyed, I felt that I needed to dance, that I had to try again,” says Izaskun. Many voices told her that it was too late, she herself doubted since she was already 25 years old and everything was against her, even so, and thanks to the unconditional support of her parents, she took up her passion again.

She went to ballet classes five hours a day and when she finished, she dressed up as a nurse and ran all over Madrid to her job in the hospital, sometimes she arrived without eating or ate on the way, but she had a goal that made her heart beat, and that was where she got her strength.

She attended Ion Beitia’s ballet school, where she shared classes and the stage with great professionals. Together they created Ion Beitia’s ballet company, where she worked in different shows.

Nutcracker, , as a corps de ballet, and as a soloist in the role of the doll.
Who caes, as a corps de ballet.
Paquita, as a corps de ballet and as a soloist in the variation of Cupid.

She made several guest performances in Fresnedilla de la Oliva and Ávila dancing: Grand pas classique, Hada Lila (Sleeping Beauty) and Tchaikovsky pas de Deux.

Despite all her successes, she soon realized that she had little future as a dancer in Spain and had to emigrate.

She finished her professional studies with the teachers Julia Estévez and David Olivier Cadenat at the Madrid Dance Center, who trusted her and helped her to obtain her first professional contract.

She took international courses in the UK, Biarritz, Marseille and with the Netherlands dance center company.

In 2019 she went to Lithuania to work in Kaunas theatre, where she is currently part of the theatre’s ballet company, dancing operas, operettas, and ballets.

She was also in Ukraine working with the Royal Russian Ballet in the production of Swan Lake

Izaskun is aware of how lucky she is to have a family who support her unconditionally and who ensure that, despite being far from home, she is not alone

As she says, “life without dreams has no meaning” and that is why she continues to work every day, training, striving to be the best, to continue to grow as a dancer and to make a living from what she loves. To quote her admired Isadora Duncan, “if I could tell you what it feels like, it wouldn’t be worth dancing”.

I never imagined that behind those green pajamas, behind that mask, behind that cautious but curious gaze was hidden the art, tenacity, strength, and beauty of a dancer first of flamenco and then of classical ballet, so suddenly I saw Izaskun with her wings spread like the great winged victory that she is. With incredible generosity she agreed to let me investigate her life, because her story, like hers, is beautiful. I proposed her to do the photo session and she agreed happily, generously, although with a certain shyness because I believe that she bares her soul with ballet. I have had the incredible privilege of seeing Izaskun from a meter away stand on her tiptoes and raise her arms to the sky and I can say that it is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in terms of beauty and strength.

“Life without dreams has no meaning”

“I am a nurse in the afternoons and a dancer all day. The engine of my life is ballet, I wanted to dance since I can remember. I like helping others and caring for others, so when my artistic life allows me to do so, I am a nurse. Two facets that at first sight have nothing to do with each other, but in me, they go together, in one I take care of the body and in the other I take care of the soul.”

Izaskun knew from a very young age that she would do the impossible to achieve her dream of becoming a professional dancer. After a lot of hard work, effort, and the need to emigrate, she achieved it and she is currently a classical dancer in a theatre in Kaunas (Lithuania).

Izaskun grew up in the mountains of Madrid and Collado Villalba where she was introduced to the world of dance at the early age of 8 when her mother enrolled her in Sevillanas and ballet classes. She took her first steps as a dancer with Arancha González Albizua, teacher and director of the school who taught her discipline and, without realizing it, marked her life and made her discover her passion for ballet.

From that moment on she realized “that she could not live without dancing”. Her family did not hesitate to make sacrifices so that she could attend her classes, which she did not miss even when she was ill.

“She wanted to be a dancer. I didn’t really know how to do it, but I knew I would do the impossible until I achieved it”, Izaskun recalls. “It wasn’t an easy path, I often felt like I was fighting against the tide in a society where the world of the arts is underestimated and if you don’t study a real career, you’re nobody”.

After years of struggle, sacrifice and training, she thought she would not make it and at the age of 20 she threw in the towel and began to study nursing. “Although it was a career I enjoyed, I felt that I needed to dance, that I had to try again,” says Izaskun. Many voices told her that it was too late, she herself doubted since she was already 25 years old and everything was against her, even so, and thanks to the unconditional support of her parents, she took up her passion again.

She went to ballet classes five hours a day and when she finished, she dressed up as a nurse and ran all over Madrid to her job in the hospital, sometimes she arrived without eating or ate on the way, but she had a goal that made her heart beat, and that was where she got her strength.

She attended Ion Beitia’s ballet school, where she shared classes and the stage with great professionals. Together they created Ion Beitia’s ballet company, where she worked in different shows.

Nutcracker, as a corps de ballet, and as a soloist in the role of the doll.
Who caes, as a corps de ballet.
Paquita, as a corps de ballet and as a soloist in the variation of Cupid.

She made several guest performances in Fresnedilla de la Oliva and Ávila dancing: Grand pas classique, Hada Lila (Sleeping Beauty) and Tchaikovsky pas de Deux.

Despite all her successes, she soon realized that she had little future as a dancer in Spain and had to emigrate.

She finished her professional studies with the teachers Julia Estévez and David Olivier Cadenat at the Madrid Dance Center, who trusted her and helped her to obtain her first professional contract.

She took international courses in the UK, Biarritz, Marseille and with the Netherlands dance center company.

En 2019 marchó a Lituania a trabajar en el teatro de Kaunas, donde actualmente forma parte de la compañía de ballet del teatro, bailando operas, opeIn 2019 she went to Lithuania to work in Kaunas theatre, where she is currently part of the theatre’s ballet company, dancing operas, operettas, and ballets.

She was also in Ukraine working with the Royal Russian Ballet in the production of Swan Lake.

Izaskun is aware of how lucky she is to have a family who support her unconditionally and who ensure that, despite being far from home, she is not alone.

As she says, “life without dreams has no meaning” and that is why she continues to work every day, training, striving to be the best, to continue to grow as a dancer and to make a living from what she loves. To quote her admired Isadora Duncan, “if I could tell you what it feels like, it wouldn’t be worth dancing.”

I never imagined that behind those green pajamas, behind that mask, behind that cautious but curious gaze was hidden the art, tenacity, strength, and beauty of a dancer first of flamenco and then of classical ballet, so suddenly I saw Izaskun with her wings spread like the great winged victory that she is. With incredible generosity she agreed to let me investigate her life, because her story, like hers, is beautiful. I proposed her to do the photo session and she agreed happily, generously, although with a certain shyness because I believe that she bares her soul with ballet. I have had the incredible privilege of seeing Izaskun from a meter away stand on her tiptoes and raise her arms to the sky and I can say that it is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in terms of beauty and strength.

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