144: New Experiences Build Character — Jeffrey Cirio

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Jeffrey Cirio, an internationally recognized ballet dancer who is currently dancing as Principal at</span> <a href="https://www.bostonballet.org/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Boston Ballet</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">. Jeffrey also is co-founder and Artistic Director of his own company, Cirio Collective. Jeffrey has danced for American Ballet Theatre and the English National Ballet as Principal and Lead Principal, respectively. Jeffrey holds medals from competitions held across three different continents. His list of accolades is truly remarkable.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jeffrey’s run as a professional dancer began at Boston Ballet. By his own account, he was living a dream and could have stayed with Boston forever. However, Jeffrey, who is a firm believer in expanding your horizons, decided to venture first to New York City then to Europe, picking up awards along the way. Now, he’s back in Boston, having come full circle, and claims that his world travels and new experiences built his character and made him a better dancer and human. On the podcast, Cirio recaps his incredible journey and speaks to the importance of venturing beyond your comfort zone.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Moving Quotes:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Try every day to go 100 percent at what you do. And aspire to do new things — to step out of the boundaries of your comfort zone. Be willing to be in the discomfort for a little bit because discomfort creates character and endurance."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The amount of exposure that I had to different companies — especially European companies and contemporary companies — was impactful for me... It's hard to say that I haven't been impacted by all of my travels."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"With any profession, you often have a love-hate relationship. There's always a love for what you do. There are always