How Has Dance Impacted Your Life

I had just moved to Washington state and I auditioned for the local dance studio’s competition team for fun. I had no idea how talented they were. And I was just an untrained recreational dancer…Not surprisingly, I didn’t earn a coveted spot on the team it the first time I auditioned. That didn’t stop me from training seriously and auditioning for the team each year until I made it. And here I stand, now starting on my sixth year on the team and as one of the last people from my original team who decided not to quit when they started high school. Dance isn’t just twirling around in pretty pink tutus. What the general population doesn’t picture when they think of dance is the tremendous amount of strenuous work and the blood and sweat and tears that goes into every performance and competition. Certain dancers can’t handle it and quit when they realize they don’t have the passion. My passion keeps me living and breathing and most importantly, dancing, when times get

Dance is one of the major things that defines my identity and it is an interest that had become so meaningful, that without it my application would be incomplete. This has been able to shape me throughout the years, from discipline and maturity all the way yo leadership and teamwork. I find dance as an art work, that it is easy to make mistakes and fall, you just have to learn from those mistakes and get up twice as strong as from where you started. Dance is to look above and beyond and just let everything fall into place without hesitation.

Even though I have danced for basically my whole life, I choose None of the injuries happened while dancing. I broke my growth plate in my right wrist twice, two years in a row. The doctors said that I broke it the second time probably because it was not fully healed from the first time I broke it. Fun fact, my right forearm is a tiny bit shorter than my left because of this. I also broke my elbow. I broke the lateral epicondyle in the humorous causing a fracture in the head of the radius. To this day, my wrist is perfectly fine, but my elbow can hurt sometimes. My elbow does “pop” every time I straighten it because the bones will never be back to their original size (they swelled up a lot) but the doctors said that this is normal. I do have my elbow brace in case I need it again, but I have not had any problems since the original

Imagine with me, a ballerina who dances in classical ballets with a professional company, and then “retires” to start a ballet school and mentor young dancers in order to give them training in the arts. She and her students are actively involved in serving children in inner cities and

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

“What are you even doing here? I have never seen such flawed technique in all my years as a choreographer.” The words echoed throughout the medical college auditorium. Impelled by the admonishment in front of my peers, I persevered in my endeavor to improve upon my dancing prowess and by the final year of medical school was leading the college dance team. The above mentioned undertaking further spawned an interest for the discipline of Latin Ballroom which lead to participation at the national level. The unwavering focus and persistence even in the face of unfavorable odds is more broadly reflective of my approach towards learning, both academic and extracurricular. This has been instrumental in achieving stellar academic outcomes including being ranked nationally in the top 0.0004 percent in the premedical test and the top 0.6 percent in the common aptitude test for management training.

Another one of my passions is dance. Since the age of three I have been dancing. Whether it is on stage, at a competition, or just in front of my family, I found a love for this art. Around the age of thirteen I began student teaching; because of this, I found a liking for helping people become more confident in themselves and their dance technique. Not only did I learn to dance, but I also built confidence, learned great stage presence and to have respect for everyone. These are all lessons that will remain with me for life.

My passion for dance transitioned into high school and college. My role as a cheerleader in high school aided in the maintenance of my physical and mental well-being. I feel most empowered when I am performing on stage, and when I am

Abby Payne at Lake Travis High School claims her team is all about the show. They do football, contest, and spring show but spring show is the team’s favorite. One thing that seemed unique about her team is that they devote an entire group or the “Elite team” to preparing the dancers who want to dance collegiately. This is a great idea when you are in an area like Lake Travis because those dancers work hard in both academics and dance so they are more likely to attend prestigious schools that have excellent dance teams. It is a wonderful that Abby is taking steps to set them up for success in their future. Another thing that is interesting to me is that Abby encourages them to be in other organizations and to involve themselves in other things besides dance team so they can build their resumes. From my experience a lot of directors prefer their dancers keep the dance team as the number one priority and to not make too many other time commitments that take away from their devotion to the team. It’s very generous of Abby to allow the kids to take these opportunities to further prepare them for their future. The thing

I am Shanna Woods, a dancer, mother, life and college student, dance instructor and aspiring choreographer. I have dance before I could walk. I decided I wanted to dance after watching a video of Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Giselle in the 5th grade. At that time, I didn’t know becoming a dancer was a possible career. It was just something we all did in the community; shaking our non-hips, doing the tootsie roll, and whatever we saw on the music videos. I remember making up dances for my friends and forcing my cousins to learn routines for family reunions and other gatherings. You can say, I was always a choreographer at heart. I began serious training at Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL. I also studied chorus. I became a dance major at Dreyfoos School of the Arts also in West Palm Beach, FL. Through Dreyfoos I was exposed to Graham with Jan Goetz, contemporary modern with Gina Buntz, ballet with Jeff Satinoff, as well as guest artists like Ben Vereen and Reginald Yates. I also trained at Southern Dance Theatre in Boynton Beach where I studied ballet, jazz, and gained my love for Bob Fosse through Dancer’s Edge Dance Company.

All sports require time and dedication to a certain extent. Dance has been my passion and weekend activity since I was three and became a very serious thing from seven to around twelve. I danced at a studio until I entered middle school at K.O. Knudson and dance was my major. I left K.O. and moved to Summerlin where I now attend Palo Verde. I received dance as my elective, being weary about the class considering I was also recovering from a back injury even during my time at K.O. and on top of that knowing I was loosing all of my skill from being absent forever and a day.

To begin, being a member of the Sauk Rapids Dance Team has taught me numerous life skills which also includes working as a team to reach a common goal. I will take this skill with me to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to accomplish whatever tasks needed with a group. I also will influence others with this particular skill and hopefully reach out to fellow classmates, working together towards whatever goal is set. Dance has let me show my artistic and creative side for the past 16 years. I now see life through a new light and look at the simpler sides of what life has to offer. I believe I am optimistic and have the ability to find the good in any situation.

“It’s easy to be involved in organizations for your major or what you hope to do later on,” Dickman said. “But, college is also about learning what you love and need in your life. I think we’d all agree that for us dance is a big part of that.”

I had several students tell me they developed an interest in the dance because of me. Students and faculty claim that they enjoy watching me dance. Compliments like these help my confidence and make me realize the students of Northern pay attention to what I do. I use my dance to spread positive energy and enjoyment. The best part of having this influence is teaching someone a dance move. The joy and intrigue in the eyes of the person that’s willing to learn is a great reward.

I have always loved to dance. When I was in my younger years I used to frequent dances. I was even involved in my high school’s show choir and my high school’s musical every year. So, it’s a no brainer that I include dance as part of my exercise when