Mexico to Melbourne: Ximena’s big move

Written by Jessica Poulter

Ximena Blancas has literally flown into her dance career, travelling across the world to study at Transit Dance.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Ximena began dancing at four-years-old at a cultural centre. Her mother—a beloved classical dancer when she was younger—wanted the same for daughter, but to no avail. 

“I didn't like ballet so I decided to do anything else that took me out of that place. The only deal was that I needed to decide on an art and sport activity. I tried a lot of things. Even though I was about to be a musician—I was in a jazz band but the music that I played made me move my body— I decided to return to dance classes,” Ximena said. 

When she started dancing again, a classmate told Ximena about a dance style called contemporary. She researched it and stumbled across Transit Dance. Watching performance videos, it was then that she felt attracted to contemporary dance. 

“I remember watching Transit’s videos when the school was in construction and thinking to myself, ‘I want to do that, I want to be there’. A couple of years later, when I decided to study dance as my profession, I searched for schools and Transit Dance appeared again.”

Ximena felt a magnetic pull to Australia, even as a young girl. It was from that moment she knew she wanted—she had to—travel down under and study contemporary dance at Transit. 

“I just chose where my instinct told me to go,” she added. 

Pursuing dance in her hometown, she auditioned for a school called Escuela Nacional de Danza Clásica y Contemporánea but was rejected. She tried again the next year with the same outcome. 

“So I started in a dance training program. I took a lot of courses in contemporary dance and other disciplines around Mexico and even outside, like Cuba. I wanted to be a versatile dancer so I did everything I could.”

Two years later, she auditioned again and this time was accepted—but it was nothing like she had imagined. It was hard for her to tell her parents that she wasn’t happy at school and needed to leap out of her comfort zone—to the other side of the world. 

“COVID was the best excuse to leave the school. I kept training, working with little dance companies and auditioned for Transit.”

Upon her successful audition, Ximena arrived at Transit Dance with an eagerness to learn and grow, despite being in a foreign country on her own that spoke another language. 

“Transit was just what I expected and even more. For me, I need to feel safe with my dance. It's a safety space to fail and get up again.”

Ximena found a home away from home at Transit Dance, which inspired her to take her contemporary dancing to the next level and form lifelong friendships. 

“One thing that I didn’t expect at Transit, which I love, is that they don't make us feel less, even if we are in first year—we take classes together and we keep growing together as a community.”

Ximena aims to work as a company dancer in Australia and eventually return to her home in Mexico City and build her own dance company. 

“Mexican culture is a synonym of happiness, and we find happiness in food, in family and in many things. For me, I find my biggest happiness in music and dance. We are born with these qualities, even the person who tells you that he doesn’t.”

No matter where you are in the world, Transit Dance may be the place for your dance career to fly. Click here to learn how you can get involved.