"Auburn Ballerina takes her place on the world stage"
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Nice article about TCDA alumni Tessa. We are so proud of you! Once again, CONGRATS!!
Photo: Permanent Glimpse
{Theodore Constant met Tessa Magda when she was 9 years old and he became her ballet master. They worked together up to four hours a day for 10 years. Magda also took additional private classes with Constant at his academy in Roseville.
All of that barre work finally paid off. This month Magda was offered a contract with the Vienna Volks Opera Ballet in Austria.
“It’s been quite a long time,” Constant said. “She’s finally ended up where she wanted to be.”
Magda, who was homeschooled and graduated from Sierra College, moved to Austria with Constant in 2015 when he took a year-long position teaching ballet at the Vienna State Opera Academy. She was a student at the academy until she was offered a contract with the youth ballet company in September.
Less than three weeks later, she was offered a contract with the Vienna Volks Opera Ballet.
Working for a ballet company in Europe isn’t the same as in the U.S., Constant said. They offer year-round employment with paid vacations and benefits.
“Hundreds of dancers audition to be offered a contract like this,” Constant said. “It is quite amazing, (and) it doesn’t happen often.”
It’s especially difficult for dancers who train in private ballet schools to make it in the professional world.
While Magda has a lot of talent and the physique of a professional dancer, Constant said, it’s really the years of hard work and passion that allowed her achieve her goals.
But it wasn’t easy for the 19-year-old to move from Auburn to Vienna, a European cultural center with a population of more than 1.7 million.
“She had to leave her friends and family behind and learn the German language,” he said. “It’s a huge transition to a new culture.”
Constant was happy that he was able to be with Magda as a mentor for her first year in Austria.
“I always feel a little bit like a father to my students,” he said. “(We) have a different relationship. It’s never finished.”
Constant has former students dancing in London, Germany and Sweden, and he sees them dance whenever they visit the U.S.
He’s looking forward to seeing Magda perform as well.
“Teaching is a wonderful thing, and I love doing it,” he said. “They’re happiness is mine. I don’t need anything else.”
Some of the performances in which Magda is scheduled to appear include “Cinderella” by Thierry Malandain, “Giselle Rouge” by Boris Eifman, “Carmina Burana” and “The Snow Queen” by Michael Corder.}
