Inspirational Ida, All Grown Up

Back in October 2009, you met the lovely Ida Saki, who won our Cover Model Search contest thanks to her beautiful technique and irresistible smile. Though she was just 17 at the time, we already knew Ida was going to make it big. Not only was she a talented dancer, she also impressed us with her combination of ferocious drive and sunny optimism.

And we were right: Since appearing on our cover, Ida has been named YoungArts winner in modern dance, made it to Vegas week on “So You Think You Can Dance” and enrolled at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Sound like enough to keep anyone busy? There’s more: Ida recently joined the prestigious Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. (She’s continuing her studies at NYU while dancing with the company.)

I was able to see Ida perform with Cedar Lake this week, tearing up the stage in Crystal Pite’s high-octane Grace Engine. She looked right at home with the rest of the company’s gorgeous dancers. Our CMS star, all grown up! Congratulations, Ida—and merde!