Shyanne Crismore

I began my training with Lyla Medeiros in 2011. Prior to training with Lyla, I never had heard of Vaganova ballet technique, and my knowledge of ballet was limited. I had loved ballet since I was 3 years old, and I always dreamt of dancing professionally, but never believed it was possible until I met Lyla. She took me in, trained me in Vaganova, and nurtured my passion for ballet. I took private ballet technique, pointe, variations, and conditioning classes with Lyla and she coached me for YAGP competitions. In my private lessons, Lyla began with the basics of the Vaganova ballet technique, and worked me up to become an advanced ballet dancer. She focused on every detail in the technique, literally from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, and that is how I became the capable dancer I am today. Her dedication, enthusiasm, and professionalism changed me as a person and as a dancer. Lyla taught me to push through the hard times, never give up, and that anything was possible. Lyla was not only my ballet coach and teacher, but my mentor and an inspiration.