NordicLife Culture + Taste + History + Events + Personalities Eugenie Skilnand Ballet Dancer E ugenie Skilnand started taking ballet classes at the age of 3 and trained at The Norwegian National Ballet School, The Norwegian National Academy of Dance and the School of American Ballet in New York. She has also been a member of the Norwegian National Ballet since 2000 and has won numerous awards throughout her career. She's danced leading roles in " The Nutcracker " and " Romeo and Juliet. " " I live and dance for the moments I can make the audience really feel something. That is always my goal whenever I enter the stage. " " Being a ballet dancer is not only my job, it's my life and who I am. It's a constant physical and mental challenge. My biggest motivation is to master that challenge. " " There are so many beautiful and talented dancers in the world. I have great respect for all the dancers before my time that worked hard to make the Norwegian National Ballet into the company it is today. " " As a soloist, I get to dance some great dramatic characters, which is what I enjoy the most. I love to put my heart and soul into a role, to work with my partner in the studio and to go on stage to tell the story how I feel it. " For more on the Norwegian National Ballet, go to operaen.no and read more from the interview on Nov. 15 at sonsofnorwayblog.blogspot.com. sonsofnorway.com VIKING NOVEMBER 2014 9 PHOTO BY ERIK BERGhttp://www.operaen.no http://sonsofnorwayblog.blogspot.com http://www.sonsofnorway.com