Zoltan Boros is an internationally renowned performing Ballet artist from Hungary. Zoltan first exploded onto the scene when he was accepted to the Hungarian National Ballet—one of Hungary’s most revered ballet companies, as well as one of the oldest, founded in 1884. In 2005 he moved to Texas to work at the Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theater. After traveling around the States and extensively working as a dancer, Zoltan now teaches at Professor in Kelly and Co. Dance School in Georgia.

We caught up with Zoltan to talk to him about his life experience as a dancer and his accomplishments. 

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Hey Zoltan! Let’s start from the beginning. When did you start dancing?

I started dancing in 1989 when I was accepted into the Hungarian Ballet Academy in Budapest, which is the feeder school to the National Company of Hungary. I finished my dance studies at the Hungarian College of Dancing Art with a Bachelors of Arts. 

Tell us about your experience working in the Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theater as an artist in residence.

In 2005 I started working in Houston TX at the BAHBT. I was mostly dancing principal and soloist lead roles, which was a very rewarding experience and I learned a lot and improved my technique and artistry. It was difficult however, since sometimes I had to dance a variety of roles due to the lack of men in ballet in the U.S., but it gave me opportunities that other places could not.

You then were selected the following year by the well accomplished ballet dancer and artistic director Jimmy Gamonet to perform in International Ballet Competition in Jackson Mississippi. This must have been an honor for you, how was your experience in the competition?

That particular competition was held in Jackson MI, IBC. It was a such an honor to be selected and to participate in such a prestigious competition! The dancers that won that year are international world stars well know in the ballet community as well as outside. Some of these dancers include Daniil Simkin (Principal – ABT), Misa Kuranaga (Principal – Boston Ballet), Brooklyn Mack (Principal – Washington Ballet) among many others.

But not even two years later your dancing led to you to begin working as Principal Dancer in the Columbia Classical Ballet! How does it feel to have your dancing taking you to different cities all the time all over America?

In 2008 I got a contract from Columbia Classical Ballet. Dancing there was another big step in my career. For this job I had to learn a lot of other skills besides just dancing, for instance I needed to act for many different roles, which was a hard task on top of simply dancing. Just like in Houston I improved a lot especially artistically and learned about dancing in different styles due to the colorful repertoire that CCB had.

You were chosen to perform then in the Life Chance Gala, tell us about your experience in that event.

Performing in the Lifechance Gala was an extremely important step in my dancing career. The dancers and choreographers we worked with were world stars, so sharing the stage with them was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is one of the most important events in Columbia SC. It was an incredible experience.

You are now currently working as a Professor in Kelly and Co. Dance School in Georgia. How has your experience as a dancer influenced your experience as a teacher?

Teaching now is really an eye-opening experience. Seeing how students grow and learn according to the advice I give them is both humbling and satisfying feeling. My responsibilities have also changed: I’m now in charge of leading a group of young minds—these children that are not schooled in the way dance yet, but they are willing to learn. It is a challenging experience but also a rewarding one, and the opportunities are endless. Both parties are constantly learning and there is never a dull moment. I love it. I feel extremely lucky to be here and see the need of my work. My field lacks teachers and there is a big need of teachers for the work I do.