Sarah Hay

I'm definitely happier dancing in Germany; in the U.S., there's a different level of competition. I find in general that I try to get my voice heard about protecting women. It comes from everything I've been through personally - I'm opinionated, and that doesn't make it that easy.

I've been with Semperoper Ballet in Dresden, Germany, for five years - I wanted to escape the competitive dance world and go somewhere where I felt appreciated for my talents. Stateside, it was always kind of a struggle. And the competition? Not into it.

I had some struggles to find my footing. I couldn't really find a place to appreciate me - I'm a little bit curvy for the dance world.

I was bullied a lot as a kid.

I was kind of a loser at ballet school. It's all rich kids, and I was not a wealthy kid. I didn't have the Chanel butterfly clip everyone else did.

I'm not really a girly girl, so for the most part, I'm really into wearing baggy clothes. A little on the grungy side of things for the dance world. I'm not really into the tutus or the flower hair clips, either. As dancers, we're pretty much next to naked with each other all day, so you kind of get used to being not so clothed.

I'm not the most confident dancer, to be honest. Dancing on film was very difficult for me because you can see it after it's been done.

The amount of effort and energy that goes into being an actor is something that I can't compare to anything else.

I'm into the scruff. I like an unkempt man. I mean, not like beard to the chest, but I'm definitely a Johnny Depp kinda girl.

Women should be happy with their bodies. Not being afraid of yourself is very empowering.

I went to school in New York and grew up in and out of New York. I love it, and I miss it, and every time I go back, I think, 'Why am I in Germany?' I do know that my career is really important to me, and in Germany, they've always been so much more supportive than my previous engagements in the dance world.

I love to play a character. If I'm playing Cinderella or Aurora in 'Sleeping Beauty' or something like that, then I enjoy classical a lot. But to do just a two-minute solo, purely to show classical aesthetic, is not my favorite thing to do.