Watch the plus-size ballerina who decided to pursue her dream career
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Professional dancer Thaina Silva, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is not a typical slim and long-legged ballerina.
Thaina, who is size 18, is breaking stereotypes as she stuns everyone with her dance despite being plus-size.
The 24-year-old, who is studying at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, always wanted to become a professional ballet dancer.
She is now pursuing her dream career as she has become a professional ballet dancer and performs with a plus-size dance group.
Thaina was bullied while growing up and was called names. Even her ballet teachers discouraged her and asked her to lose weight.
When she was 23, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and thought she was going to die.
She told Barcroft TV: “When I discovered I had thyroid cancer, the world fell apart as you don’t expect it would happen to you, especially when you’re young and exercising.
It was the moment when dancing helped me a lot.”
“When I’m dancing it’s the moment when I feel myself free. Through dancing, I can express things I can’t express with words.”
Thaina added: “Now I’m fine, I’m cured. I keep doing the treatment and I’m still going to dance a lot.”
Thaina stopped dancing after being bullied for her body weight.
“There was this case when a teacher told me I’d only be able to go onto a stage to represent his school when I’d have the body ‘he wanted’”, she said.
When she was studying dance at university, she had the support of her three teachers and friends. She then decided to pursue her dream career and became a professional Ballerina Dancer.
She has appeared on several Brazilian TV shows and has participated in plus size beauty contests.
She wants to encourage plus-size people to pursue their dream career. She said: “My body speaks in a way I can’t manage to express with words. I think there aren’t enough words to express what I feel. That’s it. Dancing is my life.”