Fair Work

It wasn't love at first sight. Ana Isabel Casquilho's path to professional stage dance took time. Growing up as an only child near Lisbon—her father a professional footballer, her mother in the administration of a large hairdressing chain—she spent a lot of time in the salon and was allowed to experiment with crazy hairstyles. She was "the spoiled one in the family" and at the same time a "little rebel" with strong opinions. Exercise was naturally part of her everyday life: Besides ballet, Ana Isabel did karate, went swimming, and skated with friends. Dance was initially just one extracurricular activity among many. At school, her fascination lay in space and the natural sciences; for fun, she memorized the periodic table and was convinced she would one day become a doctor. But she quickly ...