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After graduating from ballet school, Alexander Marmolejos Durán struggled to secure work and a visa
The dancer spent more than four years away from his family in the Dominican Republic
He says homesickness and uncertainty left him questioning whether he could continue pursuing ballet
For years, Alexander Marmolejos Durán believed becoming a professional dancer would be the hardest part of his journey. After all, he had already fought for the opportunity to study ballet, moved to New York and spent years working toward a dream many thought was impossible.
Then he graduated.
What followed wasn’t the triumphant finish he had imagined. Instead, the 25-year-old found himself facing a new challenge: figuring out how to stay in the country and build the career he had sacrificed so much to pursue.
Credit: Alexander Marmolejos Durán
Becoming a professional dancer wasn’t the finish line Durán imagined it would be. After graduation, he found himself navigating an exhausting visa process, struggling to find work and wondering whether he’d be able to stay in the United States at all.
“After graduating, I spent a few months without finding a job, and to apply for a work visa, I needed at least three contracts from different companies and countless requirements,” he tells PEOPLE.
The pressure quickly mounted. Lawyers, paperwork and mounting expenses became part of his daily reality as he searched for opportunities and tried to prove he belonged in the profession he had spent years chasing.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to stay and work and continue with my goal,” he says.
Credit: Alexander Marmolejos Durán
The emotional toll was compounded by distance. While working to establish himself as a dancer, Durán made the difficult decision to remain in the United States rather than return home, fearing it could jeopardize the future he had worked so hard to build.
“I didn’t travel to the Dominican Republic for four and a half years,” he says.
The separation weighed heavily on him. Even after years of overcoming obstacles, there were moments when the dream no longer felt as clear as it once had.
“I missed my family terribly and refused to quit and leave without at least trying to get my work visa,” Durán says. “That whole process made me feel down for a long time.”
The experience surprised him. By that point, he had already achieved milestones that once felt impossible, including studying at Joffrey Ballet School, performing principal roles and graduating into the professional world.
Looking back, he says joining a professional ballet company still feels surreal. Yet the achievement didn’t erase the challenges that came with building a life far from home.
Credit: Alexander Marmolejos Durán
“Having managed to get into a professional ballet company still seems surreal to me because I often doubted whether I would be able to do it or not,” he says.
Those doubts weren’t entirely new. Earlier in his life, Durán often questioned whether he was capable of achieving the goals he set for himself, even when the people around him believed otherwise.
One memory in particular stands out. While completing an application that would eventually change his future, he remembers telling a friend he didn’t think he could do it.
“He said, ‘But the truth is, you have nothing to lose,’ ” Durán recalls. “That’s when I started to see that it was very possible.”
Years later, that lesson remained with him. Even during periods of loneliness and uncertainty, he continued moving forward one step at a time.
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Today, the sacrifices feel worth it. Durán has shared the stage with dancers he once looked up to, traveled internationally and built the professional career he dreamed about as a teenager.
For anyone facing obstacles of their own, he hopes his story serves as a reminder that difficult moments don’t have to define the ending.
“Sometimes, or almost always, all it takes is a lot of passion and courage to become what you want to be,” he says. “I always remind myself that I belong wherever I want to be because that is my true destiny.”
Read the original article on People
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