A healer by day, a dancer at night

For most university students, balancing lectures, assignments and exams is a full-time challenge. For University of Cape Town (UCT) occupational therapy student Nina Petersen, that’s only half the story.

When the lecture halls empty, Petersen swaps textbooks for trainers, stepping into dance studios where she transforms into a professional hip-hop dancer, choreographer, teacher and performer. It’s a life lived at two very different rhythms – but one she believes ultimately moves to the same beat.

“I’ve always loved dancing,” the third-year occupational therapy student, who has been dancing since she was three years old, said. “If you really love what you’re doing, you make time for it.”

That philosophy has carried Petersen, who was born and bred in Cape Town, through an intense weekly schedule. Her days are filled with lectures, clinical placements and coursework. Evenings belong to rehearsals, classes and performances. Saturdays are spent teaching young dancers, while Sundays are reserved for hours of rehearsals after church.

“Occupational therapy doesn’t just treat a condition. It helps people function in everyday life using the activities that matter most to them.”

It’s demanding, but for Petersen, neither passion exists at the expense of the other.

Initially drawn to occupational therapy while researching university degrees, she discovered a profession that looked beyond illness and focused on helping people live meaningful, independent lives.

“Occupational therapy doesn’t just treat a condition,” she explained. “It helps people function in everyday life using the activities that matter most to them.”

Like many South Africans, Petersen admits she had never heard of occupational therapy while in high school. Today, she has become one of the profession’s biggest advocates, eager to explain how therapists use everyday occupations – from getting dressed to returning to work – to restore confidence and independence.

Clinical placements have confirmed she chose the right path.

Meeting patients and watching them regain abilities they once feared they’d lost has become one of the most rewarding parts of her degree.

“There are clients who make your heart feel warm,” she said. “Those moments remind me why I’m doing this.”

Yet while occupational therapy shapes how Petersen understands people, dance gives her another way to connect with them.

She teaches children, choreographs productions and recently celebrated a major career milestone by directing choreography for a production at Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre, which was her first opportunity to take full creative control of a large-scale performance.

Teaching has become just as meaningful as performing.

“I see myself in the kids I teach. Helping them grow is incredibly rewarding.”

Rather than existing as separate worlds, Petersen believes dance and occupational therapy strengthen one another.

Finding balance in the rhythm

Her studies have made her more aware of the emotional and psychological needs of the young dancers she teaches, while years of performing have strengthened the communication and interpersonal skills she now uses with patients.

“The two feed into each other. Occupational therapy helps me understand people better, and dance helps me connect with them.”

Still, balancing two demanding careers isn’t always easy.

When deadlines pile up, dance sometimes must wait. When competitions approach, rehearsals take priority. The constant juggling act often forces difficult decisions, and Petersen admits she occasionally feels guilty when one passion demands more attention than the other.

But she has learned that balance isn’t about doing everything equally every day. It is about knowing what needs her most in the moment.

Her journey hasn’t been without challenges. As a young woman building a career in the performing arts, Petersen says she has sometimes felt she needed to prove herself before being taken seriously.

She has chosen to let her work speak for itself.

Looking ahead, Petersen isn’t entirely sure where her future lies. She hopes to qualify as an occupational therapist but remains intrigued by the possibility of combining healthcare and movement through dance therapy. It is a path many have encouraged her to explore.

For now, she’s content allowing both passions to evolve side by side.

Her advice to other young women considering balancing university with creative pursuits is simple: don’t abandon what makes you come alive.

“There are so many people who stop doing what they love and later wish they hadn’t. You have more time than you think. Keep your passion alive.”