Ballet Academy of St. Pete's artistic director to receive prestigious award

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With a career spanning decades, Dusanka Gradiski-Ivanova has devoted her life to molding young talent and instilling a love for the art of ballet. Now, she is being rewarded for her hard work.  

Teaching the art of dance fuels Gradiski-Ivanova's passion. Her ballet journey began at eight years old in Macedonia. 

"I studied, uh, high school and was a part of Macedonian ballet as, uh, part of their repertoire. After graduation, I got the job and was a Macedonian ballet employee," Gradiski-Ivanova said.

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After dancing in Russia, she returned to her home country as a soloist for the Macedonian ballet. 

"I danced like almost 10 years," said Gradiski-Ivanova. "I got injured, my Achilles on my right leg, and I couldn't continue dancing." 

Arriving in the U.S. in 2007, she now imparts her knowledge at the Ballet Academy of St. Petersburg. 

"I love it, I love it, I love it. Ballet. Something that, um, I think of and immediately, uh, a smile appears on my face," Gradiski-Ivanova explained.  

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She has another reason to smile, because she was chosen as the first artistic director in Florida to receive the prestigious Nikola Tesla Science Foundation award.  

"Very honored, uh, and, uh, responsible, gives me, you know, um, obligation to achieve more," she said. 

The mission brings her happiness. 

"I think if I were a born again, I would choose the same profession, believe me, ballet, ballet and only ballet," Gradiski-Ivanova said. 

The ballet academy showcases performances like The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty for audiences twice a year. The Ballet Academy has been invited to perform in cities around Florida, but needs a helping hand. 

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