Teenage advice

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Looking back at my life, there have been so many times people working against me, trying to change my plans or to discourage me. Much too often I listened to others and did not dare to undertake certain adventures.

In Germany several times I received some offers to dance and/choreograph in ‘far away’ places. Being afraid to be too isolated and too far away from the family, I did not take the offer.

Also when I got an offer to make three shows on Broadway, it was a family reason that let me stay in Europe. Brothers had contacted me my mother was seriously ill and could die one of the days. So I stayed in Europe and missed the nice opportunity, because I had decided not to go to the States as a deserter, because the military had found out where I lived and that I had not done my military conscription. If I would have gone to the States I would not have been able to enter Europe without being imprisoned. I lost the court case for being released to do military service. As a Christian, refusing to take up arms, and as a dancer refusing the way out of the army, saying I would be gay (what I am not) I later then normal still had to do the conscription. (Somehow they had found my address in London, where I was living at that time.) So I came to do unarmed or civil service in Germany, losing a year at the ballet.

When I would be teen again, I would press myself to go for what I wanted to do. Today I advice youngsters not to resist their dreams.

When young, wanting to become someone, doing a certain job …. One has to go for it. One has to do everything to realise the dream.

Let nobody stop you or shatter your dreams. Do know that certain dreams will haunt you for all your life.

Take them up! Realise what is brewing in your teenage head. Go for it,whatever it takes, whatever you have to conquer!