12: Don’t Work Hard. Work Smart. — Misha Tchoupakov

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Misha Tchoupakov, Assistant Professor in the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Tchoupakov’s resume is impressive, having been classically trained at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow and having toured professionally for a number of ballet companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), the Vienna State Opera Ballet (Austria), the Los Angeles Classical Ballet, and several others. Misha also has been teaching ballet since 1988 and, in addition to his work at UNCSA, currently serves as Resident Master Teacher for the Youth America Grand Prix Competition and as an international, touring ballet instructor.

On the podcast, Misha shares his unique and compelling story of dancing ballet in the Soviet Union and how this wonderful path was actually chosen for him. Yet, in light of being pushed in this direction, he reflects on the magic of the art and how, now, he finds joy in touring America and the world, teaching others how to hone their craft and how they can — and must — learn to work smarter, not harder.