Names: Monica & Gabriela Irimia
Date of Birth: 31st October 1982
Eldest: Gabriela by 10 minutes
Pace of Birth: Cluj-Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania, Romania
Parents: Father Doru Irimia Doctor of Medicine Mother Margit Irimia Nurse and Midwife
1985-89 : Between the ages of 3-5 we attended the institute of physical Education in Cluj where we had artistic gymnastic lessons along side our normal infant schooling.
From the age of 6-7, we stopped studying gymnastics and started swimming and karate.
1989-1993: at primary school, we stopped swimming training but continued with the karate but we attended the Hungarian Opera House in Cluj where we started to learn the musical development for a ballerina differs from that of a karate student and therefore we took the decision to stop training in karate and to concentrate all of our efforts in to becoming ballerinas.
1993-2001: At the age of ten, in September, we both won places at the Octavian Strola High School of Choreography in Cluj. There were only five ballet colleges in the whole country, and there were more than five applicants for every place. Applicants came from all over Romania and from Russia. The examination concentrated on the physical proportion and perfect build combined with flexibility, balance and rhythm.
These examinations of the development of the student ballerinas' body continued throughout the entire period of training and many students were rejected each year as they failed to meet the strict criteria required of a professional ballerina.
School started at 8am at the ballet studios. The mornings were devoted to classical ballet up to 11am. We then had a 20 minute walk to the education building where we had lunch in the school canteen before starting our standard lessons. School would end at 4pm. We would then return to the ballet studios for a further one or two hours of piano, singing and further dance training in traditional Spanish, Russian, Hungarian and Romanian dance and contemporary dance.
Having completed this 10 hour day, we then went home and done our homework for the next day. In our final two years, the ballet and dance lessons frequently continued through to 8-9pm.
From the age of 14, we had to perform 3-4 times a year live on stage at the Romanian and Hungarian Opera Houses as part of our course examinations. These performances included Easter and Christmas shows. For 2-3 weeks prior to these performances we would rehearse at college every day plus Saturdays at the Opera House.
From the age of 16, we began to include our choreography in our modern dance presentations for these evening performances.
This busy schedule did not leave a lot of time for social life during term time. But if you wish to become a professional ballerina, this is the price one must pay.
