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Sara Mearns is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet

In 2014, Mearns attended a rehearsal, but afterwards, she couldn't hear for days

Mearns went to the doctor and was diagnosed with nerve hearing loss

For decades, Sara Mearns has put her blood, sweat and tears into dance, leading her to become a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Mearns started dancing at the age of 3, after her mother decided the little girl with a whole lot of energy needed an outlet to express herself. Mearns, now 39, tells PEOPLE she cried on the way to the dance studio in South Carolina, but once inside, she was right at home.

Mearns tried everything from tap to jazz and musical theatre. At age 12, she decided to focus on ballet. At 15, she moved to New York City to attend t

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