Watch This Teenage Ballerina Shatter Every Stereotype About ‘Dancer Bodies’

A video posted by Lizzy(@lizzy.dances) on Nov 21, 2016 at 4:02pm PST

Lizzy has pseudotumor cerebri, a condition in which a person experiences symptoms of a brain tumor (like headaches, blurred vision, and dizziness) without actually having a brain tumor. She gained a huge Insta-following from her video and has been using her social media account to promote diversity in dance. (Get your dance on with Women’s Health’s High-Intensity Dance Cardio DVD.)

A photo posted by Lizzy (@lizzy.dances) on Dec 3, 2016 at 5:01am PST

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Lizzy has also partnered up with Dancing for You, a campaign for dancers with disabilities and says she’s aware that she doesn’t fit the classic ballet dancer mold—she just doesn’t care. “Being an overweight dancer has come with it’s struggles,” she says in one Instagram post. “I have been told numerous times by teachers that I will get nowhere in the dance world if I do not lose this weight.” 

A photo posted by Lizzy (@lizzy.dances) on Jan 12, 2017 at 11:51am PST

“Over the years, I have learned not to care what people think!” she continued. “If people want to tear you down, let them and show them that you can do it.”

Lizzy says her pseudotumor cerebri has caused her to miss dance on several occasions, and that she suffers from severe anxiety, which makes her prone to depression. “Dance has been a way to release this anxiety and make me happy,” she says. “I haven’t given up and neither should you!”

Pretty inspiring stuff for someone who is just 15…

Try some dance-inspired squats that will get you shaking your booty: