Anna Tenta is a Swiss-Austrian actress and a former dancer. She grew up in France and Switzerland and studied at the University of Performing Arts Mozarteum and SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance). Anna worked as a dancer and choreographer internationally until 2011, when she transitioned into acting. Since then she mainly works for film and television across Europe. She was a series regular in the Flemish TV series de Zonen van Van As, and was in the French/Belgian film Le tout nouveau testament by Jaco van Dormael. She had a lead role in the second season of the BBC drama series Our Girl, and worked in various German speaking TV formats such as Tatort and other crime series. She has been in Swiss feature films like Der Unschuldige by Simon Jaquement or Jagdzeit by Sabine Boss, and Austrian films such as Der Wächter by Albin Wildner and Dunkle Wasser by the Riahi brothers. She has worked in the Netherlands and was cast in the Italian period film Freaks Out by Gabriele Mainetti. Last year in Spain, Anna filmed Lo que queda de ti by Gala Gracia, a film that is yet to be released. In addition, she teaches acting at SEAD and other university affiliated institutions and is in pre-production for her first feature film.
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You've now been a professional actor for over a decade. What inspired you to make the career switch from dance to acting?
Anna Tenta: It's a complex question because it didn't happen overnight, much like with everyone else. Initially, in December 2007, I was diagnosed with a skull base tumour. The surgery went well, thanks to the incredibly skilled surgeons in Switzerland. I was lucky, but it required about half a year of recovery. Due to this surgery, I lost hearing on my left side and also my balance organ, which meant I had to learn to walk again.
I was determined to return to dance, partly out of pride, wanting to prove that I could still do it despite these challenges. And I did return to dance, but something had shifted internally. I wasn't fully aware of it at the time, but I had developed a desire to be closer to life in some way and the dream of acting was born subconsciously. In 2009 I became a mother. Ultimately I transitioned from dance to acting due to motherhood and finding it nearly impossible to continue dancing at that level while raising a child.
What were the logistics of that change in terms of retraining and financing?
Anna: Back around 2011, when I had my last employment in Antwerp at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, there weren't many organisations to help with refinancing or restructuring. I was in a position where I really needed to change my line of work, and acting kind of offered itself to me. With the money I received from a "Best Newcomer" acting award, I travelled to the US, and used that money for retraining. I went to LA first to work with Eric Morris, and later to New York for some additional coaching, and after returning to Europe, I started working and got an agency, which helped me be taken seriously as an actor.
Originally, I wanted to study medicine, and I even did two years of it, but it wasn't a realistic option as a mum without financial support, to be studying full time.
Now, I think it's important that some countries or organisations are creating funds for these transitions. Generally, people rely on scholarships or family support because dancers don't save millions; we do it out of idealism and a desire to transcend. It's crucial for states and private organisations to support dancers because they have many valuable qualities. Dancers train all their lives and possess advantages they're often unaware of. We need coaching to realise our worth and what we can offer in the working market.
How much of an advantage in your acting now is your specific understanding of movement and body language from your dance background?
Anna: I would say that acting, like dancing, is an art form that exists in the “in-between” moments. In dance, it's about what happens between the positions, and in acting, it's similar. Good acting is really about what happens between the lines and words — the atmosphere, the unsaid, the mystery, and the underlying meanings.
That sensibility and intuitive intelligence we develop as dancers comes in very handy. On set, you have to be highly aware of everything around you, such as the camera's position and the entire technical aspect of filmmaking in general. Team spirit is crucial. The bond you form on set with cast and crew is something you’ve learned as a dancer, making us strong team players who trust one another. We're also good at taking directions without resistance. We don't need lengthy discussions before trying something out. Even if we disagree with the director, we don't fear trying it their way. I think that's a useful trait. I also feel that dancers who become actors are usually really good improvisers. There’s a certain ability of being able to “read the room”.
We are given meaning and beauty, and you need to have something to replace that. Otherwise, you have a heavy heart, so it’s important to find a second career that makes your heart sing too.
Are you able to express yourself in a similar way in both dance and acting?
Anna: I don't think so, though of course there are similarities. The sensibility, and the connection with others — this kind of nonverbal communication that needs to happen for it to feel real. The fantasy aspect plays a large role in acting; you need a rich inner world because everything around us is fake on film. It has to be credible in that moment. It’s all in that famous Meisner quote, “acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”
For me, I actually started out as a choreographer and got funding in Vienna through a platform for young choreographers. One day a choreographer saw me replacing one of my dancers during a show, and from there, it snowballed into being on stage more and more myself.
After all these years of acting and with my son now being 15 years old, space for new things is opening up again. Apart from acting, I'm currently preparing my first feature film, which feels amazing. It feels like a full-circle moment, transforming something internal into something visible and emotionally tangible.
So you looked at dance and acting from very different angles.
Anna: I think so, yes. Dance was a dream, and acting is a dream too, but acting was also very practical, especially for film. I did stage acting initially, but it was hard to manage with a small child. I should also mention, since people might wonder: I was a single mother quite early on, so of course that was challenging in terms of organisation. I come from a large artsy patchwork family who is spread out over Europe, so the classical idea of grandparents babysitting wasn’t available either.
Filming, organising a nanny, and then being abroad for a few days or two to three weeks was much more feasible than being regularly employed in a theatre. State Theatre schedules in Europe are oddly organised; you have rehearsals in the morning, then a long break until five, and then you rehearse again. This is impossible with a baby or toddler because child care is only available until 6pm. Logistically, filming was better, and fortunately, I loved it.
You teach acting to dancers sometimes. Do you think dancers have an inherent understanding of expressive storytelling? Do we have a “plus” already?
Anna: I definitely think so. I approached it a bit differently. I've been a guest teacher for acting for dancers at SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) since 2017, and I love it.
I also teach acting for actors. I feel that dancers dare to try, to fail, and to experiment. There is a certain rebellious spirit and a sense of ease and liberation in a dancer, who is already an artist. One has to work on different layers for dancer-actors. In comparison it's harder for them to navigate from fantasy and improvisation to dialogue and given scenes, while maintaining that freedom within a set context.
On the other hand, actors often want to control things more, so for them, it's important to rid themselves of their controlling mechanisms and their desire to be seen in a certain way. Dancers have less ego in some way, and that's beautiful in acting. The improvs at SEAD always mesmerise me, and I fall in love with them every time.
There's so much potential. Sometimes I wish certain educational dance programs included more acting because times are tougher now. The golden age of dance that I benefited from is mostly over. It's harder now. There's less money and many more highly trained people out there. If education were more diversified and provided tools for auditioning for film and television, it would be very beneficial, giving them more opportunities.
I think that versatility can only be a good thing, right?
Anna: Absolutely. And it really requires more tools and space. That is something I wish for, especially for those who are incredibly talented in both dance and acting, at their prime age wise, and have everything going for them. They should get more diverse tools to just go for it because it is always daunting to put yourself out there.
From my dancing days, I also know that you often had to draw from your private life to express things. But I think there needs to be boundaries when exploring very dramatic things on stage. It often requires a lot of energy and can be very intense. There is pressure to reveal the trauma from your private life in order to create “intense” material, but I feel that shouldn't happen; we should protect ourselves more. I realised at one point that I didn't want to do that anymore. I felt that I could create a fictional context and be dramatic and intense, but I didn't need to go through real suffering on stage. It requires certain tools and teachers who can guide students through the process. So dancers can ultimately feel safe to express themselves truly and safely on stage with a wide range of emotions—be it humour, sadness, rage or joy.
Were there any other skills that you were able to transfer from dance to now — anything that surprised you?
Anna: I think the social aspect is huge, as is that ability to go for it, to not question too much before doing so. Although there are advantages and disadvantages of coming from a dance background. We start at such an early age with so much idealism, and we really don't do it for the money or the external validation. It's a dream, but you give so much for it — dedication, blood, sweat, and tears.
The downside is that during your active dance career, there's hardly any time to reflect on who you are and what your other talents might be. So there's very little time to find out who you are as a person besides being a dancer. I see that now with my son going through high school with dance as his major. It's hardly possible to find out what his other strengths are school-wise because dance is so dominant once one decides to follow that path as a career. That’s great for training, but I feel it’s hard to find that balance. That’s something I wish we could generally consider a little more.
The great thing about people coming from dance is that we are doers with discipline, and we know that things are a process. Through practice and repetition, we learn that things are attainable when we dedicate ourselves to them. This mindset is beneficial later in life. Just because you fail now doesn't mean you'll fail later.
My hope for people navigating from their first to second career, coming from dance, is that they find something else that touches their soul in a similar way. Because then you will have the stamina and develop further all those skills that you bring from dance.
The identity aspect is intense and we underestimate it, at least in my experience. In one way, I felt older than others because I worked from such an early age, but on the other hand, I wasn't equipped for normal life outside the dance bubble. Motherhood also bursts that bubble; you suddenly have a place in society that you weren’t even aware of, or what womanhood means for normal society.
It's important to give yourself time to reflect. There might also be a mourning period where you have to let go of your old identity, and you might not fall in love with something else immediately.
How do you manage the uncertainties of your job now?
Anna: At the beginning it was weird, because in dance you have longer term employment, usually with a company for a year or two — so you have a rhythm. Even when working project-to-project, there was always the given training: every day you go to class, you have your ballet class or whatever you're training. I really missed that regularity when I switched to acting.
In acting, you work on a film for a period, then spend time doing castings on your own. It’s a rollercoaster life. At first I really missed the people and the community around me. There’s also a change to the social aspect when you leave dance — people almost seem scared of you. It’s weird, almost like they thought you were betraying the arts by leaving dance behind and going into something more commercial — acting. Your identity changes a bit and people don't really know how to react. You also realise who your real friends are. Until now, some of my really close friends are still from my past dancer's life, and there's a certain mindset that I really love.
Now I've gotten used to the uncertainty. Some years are better than others. Last year was a bit weird because some work was shifted, leaving me wondering, "What now?" Other years, like this one, are easier. You have to make peace with the fact that you can't plan anything, really. You also have to enjoy being on the road a lot. Fortunately, I love travelling; it gives me a good kick and makes me feel alive. My dear granny always says, "Oh, what a life you have. It must be so exhausting." But I love it. I look forward to packing my bags again. When I come home, I'm refreshed and inspired, which even helps with teaching and motherhood.
What would you say to a dancer who came to you with fears that they have nothing to offer after their career?
Anna: I would say I really hear you, and I understand. It's an understandable and legitimate fear. However, there's so much that you bring from your career — persistence and many good qualities that we mentioned earlier. You bring a whole mindset. I think the main question is to find out what you really want to do, who you are, and what feels right now.
It's important to give yourself time to reflect. There might also be a mourning period where you have to let go of your old identity, and you might not fall in love with something else immediately. It might be important to have some counselling or kindred spirits to talk to, or people like me who are older and have gone through it. It’s good that platforms like this exist. It didn't exist in my day, but it's so necessary.
Reschooling is super important. Sometimes there's an expectation that we go into physically related jobs like physiotherapy or becoming a dance teacher, but we may have totally different needs and interests. We might shy away from those because we feel we're not equipped and we have to fulfil that in some way.
I would encourage people to think thoroughly about it and not rush into their first choice readily. What’s your dream now, with who you are now? We change with time. Maybe you want to become a vet or do something totally different. Find that out and don’t just settle for what seems attainable or possible. Especially because we are people of passion: if a dancer just does a job for a job, they will become depressed. I have friends who really struggle with severe depression because they just had to settle for a job for a job for the first time in their lives. It can trigger you badly to lose that passion that gave you meaning and purpose.
We are given meaning and beauty, and you need to have something to replace that. Otherwise, you have a heavy heart, so it’s important to find a second career that makes your heart sing too.
Do you have any other advice for dancers who are considering a career transition or are about to embark on this journey?
Anna: It's probably about self-worth. Coming from dance, we are so trained to always prove that we are worthy, which involves a certain kind of obedience. Hopefully, the younger generation is a bit less submissive.
We really have to be gentle and understand that we are already worthy just because we exist. I think sportspeople and anyone in the performing arts has the same issue — we feel we need to be extraordinary and constantly active in order to be worth anything.
If financially possible, I would suggest going on an extended journey, travelling for leisure and joy, not just for work. Travel is a great way to figure out who you are and experience the world, and it gives you room to dream. After a few months on the road, seeing the world through your own eyes and not just through work, you can make a clearer decision about what to do next. I never did that, but I wish I had. It would be like a magic potion, giving you time for yourself after a lifetime of training and working.
Top image by Wolfgang Zac
