Day #14 January 22nd, 2012- Reflection

My final blog on The 14 Days of Dance is a reflection on all that I have written about.  I have thought a lot about what I have written over the last few weeks and have realized how much dance means to me.  Yes, I enjoyed it and loved to perform at competitions and recitals but I never realized that it was in almost every thought and movement I had in a day.  I started to dance when I was four years old and today at the age of thirteen; I have a greater love for dance than ever.

Wherever I am dance seems to be close by.  As I walk into the kitchen, I do a few dance steps.  I practice dances in my head when I am in the car, bus, shower or watching TV.  I remember when I was in fifth grade and I was dancing in my seat, Tracy (my teacher) said to me “Meaghan, this is not dance class”!

Where dancing takes me if anywhere I don’t know.  I would like to dance through college and maybe teach dance if I can’t be the dancer anymore. Will I ever make it to the Rockettes if even for only a try out – I really need to grow!!? Will I make it to Broadway where I can continue my love of dance, singing an acting as well?  Will I because a dancer for a pro sports team?  Will any of my dreams come true?  Will dance become a memory that I look back on with a smile on my face and a beat in my heart as a GREAT childhood memory.  So many unknowns and only time will tell. 

If dance ends up to be only a activity that I only got to do as a child that’s ok; I have learned a lot about performing and stage presence, met many friends, learned many dance steps and have truly enjoyed myself.

Day #13 January 21th, 2012- Singing in the Rain

Everyone loves a good movie and ones with singing and dancing are no exception.  Take a look at Footloose, the Step Up trilogy and Fame to name a few.  My ultimate movie with a lot of dancing and singing is Singin’ in the Rain. I have watched it dozens of times and sing along to the words and talk through the script.

 Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds.  It was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen.  Gene Kelly also provided the choreography. It offers a comic look at Hollywood, and its transition from silent films to "talkie”.  A talkie is a movie as we know them today, people talk and you can hear them.  One of the funniest parts is when they are trying to film the first “talkie” movie and they need Lina Lamont has to say the line “and I can’t stand him”.  Her voice is not very nice and it’s funny how they try to correct her “tones” with a speech coach.

Donald O'Connor had to be hospitalized after filming the "Make 'em Laugh" sequence. He smoked up to four packs of cigarettes a day.  Another interesting fact is that Donald did not like working with Gene because he thought Gene was a tyrant.  You would never know that by watching the movie.  They danced in perfect stop with one another and appeared to get along very well.  Don won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Cosmo Brown, Don Lockwood’s (Gene Kelly’s character) best friend.

Debbie Reynolds was 19 when she filmed the movie.  When Debbie Reynolds' character is supposedly dubbing the singing for Jean Hagen’s character (Lina Lamont), Debbie’s voice was, in fact, dubbed by Betty Noyes.  In several scenes the Debbie Reynolds’ character (Kathy Shelden) is supposedly lip–synching and rerecording Jean Hagen’s speaking–voice.  In actuality, Jean Hagen’s real voice was much more cultured than Debbie’s voice, so Jean dubbed Debbie dubbing Jean’s character.  Another fact you wouldn’t know by watching the movie.  Debbie made the comment that the filming was one of the hardest things she has ever done and that it was difficult to keep up with Gene Kelly, who was 40 at the time. 

In Gene Kelly’s famous dance number, Singin’ in the Rain, while twirling an umbrella and running through puddles and getting soaked, Gene was sick with a 103 degree fever and it actually took two to three days to film.  The rain was a mixture of milk and water so you could see the rain.  The “rain” made his wool suit shrink.

Regardless of the problems with filming or how the actors and actresses got along, the finished movie was great.  In 1989, Singin' in the Rain was among the first 25 films chosen for the newly established National Film Registry for films that are deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation.

I recommend you see the movie; you’ll LOVE it!                                                                       

Day #12 January 20th, 2012- The Ones That Make it Happen

The creativity and originality of a teacher can be instrumental in winning a competition or doing a great performance at a recital.  They need to build a connection between the music, the dance steps and costumes while making sure all of the dancers can perform their specific sections with stage presence that makes it look enjoyable and without effort.

I have had several teachers since I started dance, Miss Michele my first dance teacher, was very strict and taught us a lot.  We went on to perform in our recital that year and brought the house down, so I am told.  I was only five years old at the time.  I had Miss Michele again when I was ten years old and she was just as strict as I remembered.  She was a talented teacher who got results, but she was almost down right mean.  She would make girls in class cry and then ask them why they were crying.  One has to think, isn’t this supposed to have some fun associated with it?  After that year I decided that my relationship with Miss Michele and that dance studio would end.

Miss Karin was my second dance teacher and the owner of the studio where Miss Michele taught.  She was a talented teacher who had a much more laid back approach to dance.  She was more of a free spirit when it came to dance class but by the time we had our recital we were spot on.   Miss Karin’s classes were very small and after a few years it wasn’t challenging any longer and if I want to work on getting better I would have to take classes at my other dance studio.

I actually danced at two studios for a few years.  At my other dance studio, I took a hip hop class when I was eight years old and loved it.  When I was nine I took hip hop again and a jazz class with the same instruction.  I was still young at the time, so my mom would sit and wait for me in the lobby.  She would usually talk to some of the other moms waiting for their kids too.  I really don’t remember why, but I was scared to death of my dance teacher, so scared that I would actually cry  if I was fast enough I would run to the bathroom and cry there so she wouldn’t see me.  I don’t think she ever understood how much I was afraid of her.  Funny, she is still my teacher today and she has taught me so much and yes I am still afraid of her at times but no, I don’t cry.  She is tough on us and has high expectations. She does not give out a “Good Job” compliment unless she REALLY means it and they are few and far between. 

I have had several ballet teachers over the years in addition to Miss Michele and they are all different.  Some are laid back like Miss Karin and others are more formal and like to teach studio etiquette not just how to dance.  If you are late for class, you should knock and wait for a reply and then apologize for being late.  Most girls think it’s ok to just walk into a class.  Ballet teachers also stressed the important of dance attire and hair.  Dance attire includes a leotard, tights – usually pink or black (when you are older) and a dance skirt if you chose to wear one. The hair must be in a secured bun, not a pony tail and definitely is not to be worn down. 

Last year, I had my first male dance teacher for a hip-hop class.  He was a great dancer himself and really made the class fun for us.  While we enjoyed his class every week by recital time it was obvious that we did not spend enough time preparing.  This was not a company team and I did it with some friends of mine for fun.

Teachers are an important element to any learning and dance is no exception.  Some are strict while others are easy going;   both can be demanding they just have a different approach.  All want you to do your best and try to give you the skills to do so.

This is my teacher Miss Andrea.

Day #11 January 19th, 2012- To the Theatre We Go

To me the theater is a magical place.  Don’t you wish you could be up there performing for an audience and totally into your character that you become them for a short time, 6 days a week with 2 shows on Wednesdays and weekends? Most say it’s a grueling schedule, but it’s one of my dreams!  To act, dance and sing things I love to do, and have the audience applaud and wish they were in your   shoes – WOW!

I have been to a lot of plays and some I have gone to twice.  My first play was when I was probably four or five years old and my mom took me to see Beauty and the Beast.  We were in the front row and while I do not remember a lot, I do remember waving to the cast members at the end and them waving back.  I was hooked.  I have been to the theater 28 times and have seen 5 play two times. 

All of the plays have had dancing, singing and acting and require the actors and actresses to be strong well rounded performers.  My favorite plays have been Billy Elliot, West Side Story, The Addams Family, and Shrek.  Jersey Boys was great and I would love to see that one a second time.  When I was younger I also saw more Disney plays including Mary Poppins, Little Mermaid, and Lion King.  Mary Poppins was great and I had an opportunity to do a back stage tour after the play.  I met the actor who played Burt.  He was great and talked to us about what it was like to walk up the side of the wall and across the top and back down again only tethered to a rope all while singing. It was unbelievable.     

Some of the plays that I have gone to have closed or are touring and not on Broadway which gives new plays an opportunity but not many of them seem to be around for a long time with the exception of a few.  Little Mermaid was on Broadway for less than two years.   The revival of Promises, Promises didn’t even last a year. Another play, 9 to 5 which I thought was very funny only lasted 6 months but went on and did a national tour. 

Phantom of the Opera, I haven’t seen this one, has been on Broadway for 25 years and is the number one show in Broadway history. Wicked has been on Broadway since October 20, 2003 and is seen as a long running show and the 13^th longest running show in Broadway history.  Other long time shows include Lion King ranked 7^th overall so far, Chicago ranked 4^th overall so far and A Chorus Line ranked 5th.  All of the shows mentioned with the exception of A Chorus Line are still currently on Broadway. 

If there is a play that you want to see I would try and see it as soon as you can.  For me, I would like to see Memphis, a musical of singing and dancing, tells the story of the segregated south in the early 50’s through a DJ and a night club singer.  

  

  

Most plays are about 2hours and 30 mins long, South Pacific was 3 hours long.

Day #10 Janurary 18th, 2012- Competitions and Recitals

Dance, Dance, Dance – I dance from September through May every year.  I have at least one class every night, Monday through Thursday.  On Mondays I dance for two and a half hours and on Thursdays I dance for three hours.  We have additional classes every few weekends.  I am on the junior ballet competition team and junior jazz competition team at my studio and I am also a member of the Hip Hop All Stars team.  This year I am doing a trio hip hop dance as well.  We are required to do a few Master classes each year and a community service event.  A Master class is a class taught by someone other than a studio teacher and they come in and give us a different approach to a particular form of dance or teach us a form of dance that we don’t currently do.  Our community service events have included dancing at Chandler Hall and a fund raiser for cancer at Council Rock South.

For those of us on a competition team, we learn our dance early in the year and then its practice, practice, practice and time spent getting our timing, stage presence and synchronization competition perfect.   

Then there are the costumes, make-up and hair.  The costumes usually require some type of alteration or addition to it, which my mom does not like.  She always says “Give me a costume done including the tights and shoes”!!   Sometimes the shoes need to be dyed or replaced with another type of shoe than what we practice in.

For competitions, we all must wear our hair the same way; usually it’s parted on the side and then in a low bun.  We use a lot of gel and hairspray so it doesn’t move.  We are required to wear make-up including lipstick and fake eyelashes.  We all must have the same costumes and the same color tights, no exception!!

Competitions are on weekends, Friday through Sunday.  We can have dances scheduled back to back or there can be hours in between dances.  Each competition is broken down and we are in groups based on the average age of your team.  It’s important for a dance studio to keep the average ages of each team of dancers different so that they don’t compete in the same division.  There is a recreational division and a competitive division.  The difference is based on the skill of the group as well as the amount of hours danced a week.

During your performance the judges are taped and make comments about the group and sometimes one of the dancers in the group.  They also grade you on a point system.  At the end of each section of the competition, solos, duos and trios for example, there is an awards ceremony Awards are given in each category; there are special recognition awards and high awards as well as overall awards.  

We usually go to three dance competitions each year.  Some dance studios go to more, but the kids/parents at our dance studio only want to do a few competitions a year.  I would like to do more competitions.  We put in a lot of effort and performing in front of people and judges is a good way to show people how much you have practiced and how hard you have worked. 

                After the competitions, we have our dance recital. Our recital is performed twice.  Competition dances perform at both shows and the other dances are split between the two shows. The recital is on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and it is held at Villa Victoria High School in Ewing, NJ.  The dance recital is a lot of fun and stressful as times.  We are constantly rushing around and changing costumes.  The dressing room is small and so hot.  We bring fans from home to try and keep the air moving.  The recital is our last chance to our dances.  

At the end of the night, my family and friends go out to dinner.  Dance is done until the summer.  We have summer intensives in July and August.  In September the new year starts.

This is the logo of one of the competitions we went to!

 

Day #9 January 17th, 2012- Destination Broadway

I was introduced to this opportunity by my prior dance teacher.  Destination Broadway is a one week (Sunday – Saturday) learning experience held at a studio in New York City.  Students and their parents stay in Secaucus, NJ which is near exit 16 off of the New Jersey Turnpike.  We stay here because it is cheaper than staying in a hotel in New York City.  Sunday night is the first night and there is a reception to go over rules and expectations as well as a reunion if you have been a prior camper. 

This summer will be my 4^th time at Destination Broadway.  I auditioned when I was 10.  I had to sing a song in front of two of the teachers that would be at the camp, Valerie Wright and Tiffany Haas.  At the time, Tiffany was on Broadway performing in Wicked as the backup to one of the leads.  Valerie Wright has performed in many shows including Annie Get Your Gun, Cats, and Song and Dance.  When they asked me to sing, I sang Popular from Wicked and was offered a spot at the camp. 

During the week, you spend time on all skills needed for Broadway, dance, acting, singing and auditions.  Dance is primarily jazz, ballet and tap.  All of our teachers are or have been on Broadway or work with Broadway shows.  We usually leave the hotel early in the morning and return after dinner.  On Wednesday, we leave a little later because we go to a play in the evening and then have an opportunity for a talk back with several of the actors from the show.  A talk back is held after the play is over and the actors come out to the audience (who are allowed to stay – not everyone can) and answer questions.  We can ask questions about the show or about their careers and how they got started. 

Shrek, Billy Elliot and Anything Goes are the plays that we have gone to while at Destination Broadway.  All were great plays and I have seen Shrek and Billy Elliot twice. 

On Saturday, we put on a small showcase of what we have worked on, it’s not a recital and we aren’t in costume but we show our parents and family what we have worked on during the week.

Every year, we have a poster contest and the theme is the week of camp.  I have won the award twice.

Michael Rafter is one of the founders and teachers at Broadway Destination and says it best:

A word about Destination Broadway.....

The skills essential for success as a performing artist are the same skills essential for success in life. One-on-one communications, successful job interviews, speaking to a group, setting goals, making great 1st impressions and presenting a positive image are all essential life skills. Destination Broadway teaches these life skills using performing arts as a vehicle.

--Michael Rafter

I enjoy and look forward to this week every year.  I have made some friends, none of which are local but that’s ok we meet the same week every year and enjoy our classes together. 

This was my poster for my first year at Destination Broadway.

This was my poster for my third year at Destination Broadway.

This is a picutre of Mr. Rafter and me the first year of my Destination Broadway experience.

This is a picutre of Mr. Rafter and me the second year of my Destination Broadway experience.

This is a picutre of Mr. Rafter and me the third year of my Destination Broadway experience.

Day #8 January 16th, 2012- Junior Dance Teams!

The roar of thousands of people clapping, whistling and yelling for you!!!!  What a feeling for a young girl. 

When I was 9 years old, I auditioned to become a member of the Junior Soulmates and made it!!! You had to have some dance experience.  The Junior Soulmates were two teams, one for girls between 8 – 12 years old and the second team was for girls 13 – 18 years old.  A 12 year old could try out for the second team if she thought she was ready. We practiced one to two times a month on a Sunday and we would perform at the Soul football games.  The Soul an indoor football team plays their games at the Wachovia Center.  We would perform during half time.

I have been a jr. team member for several years.  The SOUL stopped playing for 2 seasons do to the fact that the ownership was losing money. 

Over the last 5 years, I have been a member of the Platinum All Stars.  We travel and perform at various venues.  We have performed at Madison Sq Garden, Wachovia Stadium, and the Spectrum.  We have performed for collegiate football teams, professional hockey teams, arena football teams and the Sixers basketball team.  We also performed during half time for the Harlem Globetrotters.  We have also performed twice at the Atlantic City Thanksgiving Day parade.

In the summer of 2010, I joined the Trenton Thunder (minor league baseball) Dance Team and was a member of their first team ever.  We performed at the end of their games before the fireworks show.    

This winter the Trenton titans were planning on having a dance team but do to low numbers that have decided not to have a team this year.  I was looking forward to it.  I enjoy the hockey games.  

This season I have decided not to do the Soul; however, I am still on the Platinum Dance Team. We will be performing for the Harlem Globetrotters this March.

My funniest experience with all the dance teams was my first year as a Soul Jr. dancer.  After the game, the players would come back on the field and would sign shirts, footballs, programs whatever you wanted; they would even take a picture with you. I had worked my way up to the front and had a shirt I was trying to get signed, when these two girls a little younger than me came up to me and asked me to sign their football.  They wanted my autograph!!!  At first, I thought they were just showing me the football but then they said, “You were great can we have your autograph?” I signed the football Meaghan!

This is the team photo for the Trenton Thunder Dance Team!

This is the team photo for the Jr. Soulmates Dance Team!

Day #7 January 15th, 2012-With the Greatest of Ease, an article in Departures magazine

David Hallberg, the first American dancer to be a principal dancer for the Russian Bolshoi Ballet at the age of 29. He will remain a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre as well. David has performed in many ballets including Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Albrecht in Giselle.  In the next few months he will perform Swan Lake and Jewels. 

He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota and began jazz and tap classes at the age of ten. He began his formal ballet training at 13 with Kee Juan Han at the Arizona Ballet School in Phoenix where he studied intensively for four years. In 1999, he was accepted into the Paris Opera Ballet School where he continued his studies. 

David is tall, 6’tall which makes some mores for him more difficult.  His arms are very long which made it harder for him to find his strength.  His right arm is also stronger than his left so he must lift the heavier part of his partners body with his right side.  He feels that the most important part of a male dancer is his hands.  The hands are his way of expression as well as the lifeline to his partner.

There is a delicate balance in all dancers’ bodies, strong and powerful enough to perform and yet look long, lean and tapered from their head to their feet.

The feet of a dancer are prone to injury and all dancers need to take care of them.  They also need to have strong torso.  This helps them align their bodies.  Many do Pilates to keep their torsos strong. 

David also believes that the mind is a part of every move made by a dancer and concentration is extremely important.

This is the picutre of David that was in the Magzine!

Day #6 January 14th, 2012 -…More on the Rockettes

The John Tiller girls of the 1922 Ziefeld Follies were the inspiration for Russell Markert  dance company first called the Missouri Rockets.  By 1934, the dance company name changed to the Radio City Rockettees.  The Rockettes are the world’s most famous dance company. 

The Rockettes have performed 5 shows a day, 7 days a week during the Christmas season for 77 years.  They are best known for their eye high kicks done in unison.  They have over 2 million viewers a year and in addition to performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, they perform in 60 cities all over North America.  They have performed for presidents, at the Tony Awards, Super Bowl half time shows and have co-starred in commercials. 

Since their origin, there have been over 3,000 women who have performed as Rockettes with thousand more auditioning each year.  My dream of trying out to be a Rockette may be cut short, a little play on words here.  To audition to be a Rockette you must be between 5’6” tall and 5’10 1/2”tall.  I am currently 5’2”, maybe.  You must also be 18 years of age and be proficient in tap, jazz and ballet.  A lot of the women who are Rockettes are college students who take the fall semester off because of the demanding schedule that they have during the fall.

The Rockettes offer two classes to young girls.  One is the Rockette Experience, this is a 3 hour class and taught by a legendary dancer.  You learn an actual dance that the real Rockettes have performed in the past, you also learn the world famous kick line.  During the class you have a mock audition and are offered a back stage tour.  To take this class, you must be taking jazz, ballet and tap.

The Rockettes also offer a Summer Intensive.  This is a weeklong class and you must be 14 to audition.  You must also have 5 years of tap, jazz and ballet under your belt.  The summer intensive has been around for 11 years and 47 of its attendees have actually become a Rockette.

When I was 10, I attended the Rockette Experience and I hope to audition for the summer intensive next year.  You have to be 14 by August 30^th of the year you are auditioning.

This is a picture of the Rockette Experience!

Day #5 January 13th- Dance Moms

Today I am going to write about one of my favorite shows, Dance Moms. Dance Moms is like the Peanut to my Butter. Every Tuesday night at 9:00 my DVR is set to record Dance Moms. For season one, it was on Wednesday nights but now they’re on Tuesdays.

For those of you that don’t watch or know anything about the show, Dance Moms is a reality TV show that follows the life of, Abby Lee Miller, seven girls, and their moms. The girls have dance five hours every night, Monday - Saturday. The girl’s names are Brooke, Paige, Madie, Mackenzie, Kendal, Nia, and Chloe, although competitors Chloe and Madie have to be my favorite. I think that I can relate to Brooke the most because we are both in 8th grade and we are both thirteen.

In season one there was a mom, Cathy, and her daughter, Vivian, who went to Abby’s studio for a short time. Cathy had her own studio but she wanted someone else to teach Vivian.  Because of the time commitment that Abby Lee Miller demanded of both the dancer and her mom, Cathy as she said “got off the train” and went back to her studio with her daughter. There was always a competitive relationship between Cathy and Abby.  Cathy’s studio is located in Ohio and Abby Lee Miller’s studio is in Pittsburgh. 

 Cathy was determined to compete against Abby, so she deliberately went to the same competition.  She put a duet and a solo in the competition to compete with Abby’s dancers. Low and Behold she did not win.  This was only the beginning of a rivalry that may last a lifetime.

So far my favorite episode of dance moms would have to be the second episode of season two, “Return of the Candy Apples”, (which is a play on Cathy’s studio, Candy Apples Dance Company). When the Abby Lee Dance Company went to Ohio to kick some Candy Apples butt. Cathy lied about her girl’s age and still lost to the Abby Lee Dance Company. No one said anything until one of Cathy’s students was doing a solo and a parent, not from the dance mom group, told the director that they have scene her at other competition in the     14-year-old age category. The director went to confront Cathy and ask her about the age of her student. Cathy ended up making her student get disqualified and made the director ask about Brookes age. But Brooke was in the right age group.

My favorite dance was “This is My Beauty”. This was a contemporary/lyrical dance. I really like the song and the meaning behind it. They used this dance at nationals (for only the best of the best) and won. After season one was over the girls were asked by Good Day LA to perform on one of their shows. Here is a video of the girls doing the dance.

        

As you can see this show is very complicated. You never know what’s coming next. These girls have received an opportunity of a lifetime. They were started in a music video, have won national titles, and as a group won nationals. Here is a picture of the girls, moms, and Abby. 

Unfortunatly Kendal and Jill (new cast members) were not in the group at this time. But here is a picture of Kendal and Jill.

Day #4 Janurary 12th, 2012- An Interview

Because of my last post I decided that I would talk to you about tap and my dream to be on Broadway one day. This is a picture of tap shoes.

For Broadway there are three things that they look for. Acting, Singing, and Dancing, especially tap. Although ballet is the core of dance, I personally think that tap is the core of Broadway. Tap is a type of dance that does not necessarily move to the beat of the music but to the steps in which you are trying to execute. 

I went on an audition for Billy Elliot a few years ago and we had to audition a tap number, it was so hard I couldn't believe it;  that's when I realized tap was a differentiating factor for possible success on Broadway. 

I have found in the dance studios that I have danced at and the one I currently dance at not many students take tap.  Most take ballet, lyrical and jazz but tap seems to be the one form of dance left behind.  Even the Rockettes do a tap dance to the tweleve days of Christmas that is unbelievable but only 30 of the 36 in the show dance in that number.  Because of the lack of involvement with dancers taking dance I have interviewed my tap teacher and recorded the interview. Here it is…

T- The Tap Teacher

M- Me/Meaghan

M- How long ago was it that you started teaching tap?

T- Oh, I would have to say seven years ago.

M- Was tap your favorite type of dance when you were younger?

T- No. Actually Jazz was my favorite.

M- So what made you be a tap teacher instead of a Jazz teacher?

T- When I was in my 20’s, I took some tap classes and feel in love with it! I took a lot more classes and after my first child I thought that I was too old to be a dancer myself and so I decided that instead of giving up tap entirely I was going to share my talents with tap lovers and became a teacher.

M- Do you think that you would have liked to be a jazz teacher instead?

T- I honestly don’t know.

M- What is tap dancing and what does tap mean to you?

T- Tap dancing appears to be fairly complicated. It all starts with a series of basic steps linked together. Add timing, fluidity and creativity, and it looks masterful. I think that tap is a way to express what you’re feeling with your feet.

M - Why do you think not as many dancers teach dance as they do other classes?

T- Meaghan, I am not sure.  It might be due to time constraints.  I know some girls that have talked to me think its harder than the other classes.  It funny, when you all started out in dance, most of you took a ballet/tap combo class.  Do you remember that?

M - Yes, I do.  My first recital dance was a tap number.

While neither one of us has a firm reason why tap is not as popular as the other forms of dance, I can tell you from experience that if you have any dream of being on Broadway, you better take some classes.

Day #3 Janurary 11th, 2012- Broadway's Back

For this blog, I chose a picture of me from my first dance recital when I was five years old.  I love to look at pictures and videos from when I first started to dance.  From the big smile on my face, you can tell that I loved to dance right from the start.   While I have to laugh when I watch the old videos, I can see how much I have learned and grown in performing.         

The song that I performed to when this picture was taken was Broadway Baby, and my teacher’s name was Miss. Michelle. The dance I performed was a tap number and the studio’s name at that time was Workshops in Dance.  I danced at this studio for six years and had Miss Michelle again when I was ten but she seemed to have changed. She was mean, rude, and strict, but a good ballet teacher who taught me a great deal.     

I stopped taking tap when I was seven but I have picked it up again this year. My tap instructor at DAY (Dance Arts of Yardley) this year is the same teacher that I had when I was younger.                

 After my first dance recital we have a tradition of going to dinner (which still happens today) with my mom, dad, brothers, family, and friends.  To quote them, they said “we stole the show”.  Looking back I feel that Broadway Baby was the beginning of my dancing dream.

Day #2 January 10th, 2012- The Soloist

This is a picture of my solo dance from last year. I was honored to be selected to perform a solo because the instructors are very hard and give out solo's selectively at my studio. The solo I performed was a jazzy hip-hop type of dance. I was surprised to be chosen after being in the company for only two years. They selected me to do my solo when I was eleven but didn't performed it until I was twelve. My teacher was gun-ho about me getting a solo. I was asked to join the company dance team as a Full Member when I was nine (my first year at this dance studio). In receiving this solo it made me feel very good and accomplished. Just so you know in my studio, company teams have two sets of groups in the class. There's the Apprentices, that means that you have some fundamentals that need to be worked on before becoming Full Member. And then there are Full Members that means you have mastered all of the basic and advanced technical issues. I was the only dancer in Jr. Company that was asked to become a Full Member. My solo was performed to the song "Made" from the movie Step Up 2. I really liked my solo dance but I was very nervous. My teacher, Miss. Andrea, was having a baby and she really didn't have the necessary time to teach me the dance. But some how I learned it. I ended up having to learn the dance in a total of 5 hours, it was crazy. I was able to perform my dance at the regional competition and I was awarded 1st in my category, which was another big plus for me. Here is a video from YouTube of my solo song, Made…

Day #1 January 9th, 2012- On Top of My Toes

This picture is me on my pointe shoes. It means a lot to me because it makes me think of how far I have come in the dance world. It brings me back to the memory of me on my first day of dance class. Dance is not only a hobby, but it has become a part of me. It is a part of my soul, my life, and my heart. Dance has inspired me to come out of my shell and explore the world of who I am and what I stand for. I choose this picture because dance has become such a big part of me. The more I dance the more my passion grows stronger. My dream is to be on broadway as a Radio City Rockette. I feel that life with out dancing 8 hours a week would make me feel incomplete. I wonder if my mom hadn't taken me to that first dance class if I would have started dance at some point in my life. Dance is my match. For those that don't know pointe, it is a higher level of ballet. Ballet is the core of dance. In my studio it is a great honor to be asked to be on pointe. Going up on full pointe is when you are standing on the top of your toes. It is much harder to balance on pointe shoes. Usually you have to be 10 or older in order to go on pointe because all the muscles in your feet should be fully or almost fully developed. At my studio you need to take a physical test in order to be asked to go on pointe. Here is a picture of what a pointe shoe looks like.