Hey!  My name is Olyveya.  Also known as Carnivore Ballerina.  I’m a 20 year old ballet dancer following the carnivore diet and healing several health problems I’ve suffered over the past few years.

My Health Journey

I discovered the carnivore diet in 2019 at age 16 after eating keto for several years.

Because I was already struggling with an inflammatory response to mold and radiation exposure, at the beginning I wasn’t feeling the full benefits of the carnivore diet. It was only 6 months ago that I fully understood the extent of my underlying conditions and that they also needed to be addressed. After my initial 1-2 months of eating carnivore, I went more animal-based for 3 years. The impact was significant with my health deteriorating, gaining around 65lbs, contracting internal parasites and winding up with severe acne and rosacea. Talk about devastating!

During this time I was training professionally in ballet and experienced extreme lower back pain, bunions, depression, and almost no sleep. And I’m happy to say that these have been healed and I’m now feeling great and full of energy.

Out of desperation, I committed to being strictly carnivore 1 ½ years ago. For the mold, heavy metals, parasites and radiation I have used other supplements, detox regimes and healing modalities to help the healing process. It is eating carnivore that has played a critical role in giving my body a reset and rest.

I now realize that I never would have been able to pursue my passion of being a ballerina without focusing on a full body health routine. It’s been so beneficial to my training and I wouldn’t physically be where I am now without it.

My Ballet journey

When I was still a young toddler my mom introduced me to the world of ballet and opera.   Instead of watching the typical cartoons we would immerse ourselves in the beauty of full-length ballet performances.  Everyday I would watch these videos and organize my dolls so that they performed along with the famous ballerinas.  Noticing my love for movement, my mom enrolled me in ballet, tap, jazz and character dance classes along with gymnastics.

When, at the age of 8, we moved to a new country it proved difficult to find a proper level of dance classes.  This led me to dancing by myself while watching instructional videos.  Finally, after 4 years we saw an ad in a local newspaper that led me back on my ballet path.  Within months, I was cast in the leading role as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty.  Shortly after that, I auditioned for the national ballet school and was 1 of 3 who were accepted for that year.  I was surprised since I didn’t even know what fifth position was at that time.

While I was excited for this opportunity, I also was a bit disappointed because I was placed in a lower level and therefore the oldest in my class.  I knew that I had the potential and drive to progress quickly.   Then reality hit me 1 1/2 years into my training when I participated in a summer intensive in Budapest.  I did have a huge way to go to get to the level of a professional dancer.  In the moment, I actually had second thoughts on whether I could do this and if giving up was the best option.  But the teacher who forced me to confront this reality actually became my source of motivation.  I was determined to prove her wrong.

Over the next 4 ½ months, I embarked on an intense training regimen. I started with a two-hour private session in the morning, followed by a 20-minute walk to class, and then continued training with my classmates for another 4 to 5 hours. The result was remarkable—my technique improved significantly, and I even achieved the highest mark in my class during the year-end exam.

The following year wasn’t as smooth sailing. The immense workload had taken its toll, and I experienced burnout. My health issues started to surface, forcing me to quit all but the most basic 1 ½ hour technique class in order to prepare for the exam.

By 2020, I had lost six months of training, and during that time, I didn’t do much at home. As a result, I lost a significant amount of technique, battled with depression, gained weight, and developed acne and eczema. In September of 2020, I sought guidance from a teacher who was a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet school. Unfortunately, that period turned out to be one of the most challenging times in my life, as I struggled with my health conditions, the dynamics of that teacher-student relationship, and other personal matters.

From August 2021 to July 2022, I took matters into my own hands and trained at home in my living room, complemented by as many classes as possible at the local ballet studio. It was a time of self-discipline and dedication.

In December of 2022, I reunited with my previous teacher and experienced further improvement. Unfortunately, there were hidden intentions behind the teaching, and I had to make the difficult decision to part ways.

Since March to May of 2023, I have been training independently while also taking classes with Ballet Austin and Ballet West. Currently, I am training with a ballet company in Utah.