Junior Ariana Serrano started practicing ballet when she was nine years old; as a child, she participated in musical theatre in elementary school and dreamed of becoming an actress. When directors told her that she would have a greater chance at landing roles if she knew how to dance, she took up jazz, hip-hop, and ballet.

Ariana admits that she didn’t enjoy ballet as a child, but she soon grew to love it over time.  Despite the physical challenge, she continues to practice ballet because it brings the audience into a “dreamlike experience.”

When she turned 13, she started attending the Orange County School of the Arts. As she got more serious about dancing ballet, Ariana’s mom found her a Russian teacher, Olga Tozyiakova, because her American teachers weren’t challenging her skills enough. After finding Ms. Tozyiakova, Ariana transferred to Mira Costa during the 2nd Semester of her freshman year because she was able to train closer to home.

She now trains at Arabesque Ballet Studio in Beverly Hills, CA, and hopes to join a ballet company after high school.