Former ballet dancer Christina Stockdale said there are lots of parallels between her past career and real estate. Balance, timing, commitment and hard work all play into both. She also had the background for the world of homes as her father is an architect. So when the opportunity arose to join the field, she jumped — actually leaped — at the chance.
As a real estate agent with The Thomas Group, Stockdale took some time to talk to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about her journey, what it takes to make it in ballet and real estate, and how to know when to close the show.
Review-Journal: Take us through your ballet journey, education, training and performance career. What was it like, and what is a good way to describe it?
Stockdale: I began my training in Philadelphia, and I danced for ballet companies in Virginia and Washington state before joining Nevada Ballet Theatre. From there, I also continued to dance in shows and clubs in Las Vegas as well as becoming the dance captain and choreographer for Tournament of Kings, where I still perform.
I would say it’s definitely to the level of a professional athlete, the training is intense. I had a lot of the Russian style training, which is very strict and you have to be very strong as well, but it’s definitely still an art form. It’s about expressing a story or a feeling with the movement of your body. That’s what I love so much about it. It’s something very difficult and I love pushing myself to always be better. It’s not just about being able to complete a movement. It’s how you do it, and making it look graceful and easy.
How did the transition from ballet to real estate happen, what is the story behind that?
My dad is an architect and growing up I was obsessed with ballet, but I always wanted to do something similar to my dad as well. I love design, but I wanted to pursue my dancing career. As I progressed through my dance career, I started accomplishing a lot of the things I wanted to do in the dance world and started to think about what else I would want to do as a career after I finish dancing professionally.
I didn’t want to go back to school for architecture, but real estate seemed like something I would enjoy and could get into faster. When one of my dancer friends-turned-Realtor and her husband asked me to join their team, I was in 100 percent.
What are some things you use from your ballet career in real estate?
Definitely the work ethic. In ballet it is never, “That’s good enough.” You strive for perfection. Even if it means going above and beyond, doing things that are not typically in the job description, such as weeding a yard before the listing photos, or helping my clients move, mopping the floors after they move out when they don’t have time to.
I think also performing under pressure. Performers are used to having the spotlight on them and having to make decisions quickly, so when a problem arises while in escrow, I’m used to finding a solution and making it work.
Where do you see Las Vegas heading as a real estate market, and also as an entertainment and performance destination?
Las Vegas real estate is heading in such a great exciting way; the luxury market continues to grow and luxury sales continue to go higher and higher each month.
As far as Las Vegas being a performance and entertainment destination, I feel shows on the strip have been still doing well, but the vibe of tourists coming to Vegas is changing. We have the sports teams now and things like the shows and nightclubs aren’t as busy as they used to be.
But I am really excited about what’s happening for the arts in other places in Vegas not on the Strip. Symphony Park is getting an art museum; the live theatre shows there are always some of my favorites. The performance and arts are definitely still alive and well here in Las Vegas.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self for 10 minutes, what would you tell her?
I would tell her to keep going. Don’t get discouraged and keep pushing. It takes time and hard work and determination to accomplish all your goals and dreams but we’ll get there. And stay open to new ideas and new goals and dreams.
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
