Dance is in My Blood

Dance has been a big part of my life since I was born. I think I was born with a natural love for performing and that has been reflected in most every part of my life both related and unrelated to dance. From a very young age I loved gymnastics and I realized that my favorite part was doing the floor routines, which made me realize I wanted to try dance. Therefore, I did hip hop, ballet and jazz at Dance Theater South in Durham for many years and would do performances on stage at the end of each year. The performances were my favorite part because my parents and friends would come and watch. Whenever I am on stage I light up and am the happiest person on earth and whatever dance routine I had learned looks a million times better than when I practiced because my adrenaline kicks in and I do the very best I can in front of an audience. Another way I let performing manifest in my life was when I would create dances for my friends to perform on skit night at the beach when my family would invite six families and their children to my childhood beach house at Ocean Isle Beach called the Wendy Gayle. I just think performing is in my blood and it will never stop being a part of who I am.

I continued my love for dance in high school at Saint Mary's School. I would dance in the winter as my sport, which would consist of a ballet class, modern class and hip hop class. My favorite class would always be hip hop because I love the cutting edge of the dance moves. I often felt like ballet wouldn't let me show my personality as much even though I know I learned great technique from it, which is why it was my least favorite. I absolutely loved watching the show Dance Moms which was a show about young girls competing in dance competitions around the country. I think watching their modern and contemporary dance routines made me love modern as well because it allows you to tell a story through dance and express your emotions. I think that dance has been an outlet for me my whole life as well because I think that dancing is very therapeutic and when I dance I feel very confident in myself.

During my time at SMS I was awarded Cheer captain, which was chosen by the student body to lead the pep rallies for the sports games and choreograph dances for our grade for events such as the Dance Off (where the grades compete against one another to win money for a charity) Sigma Mu Day (a school wide field day full of competitions) and Rave (a dance on campus with fun black lights and neon outfits). For example, for the Dance Off I would choreograph a dance for my entire grade which I would make the mix tape for and teach to my grade, which was a lot harder than it sounds. I won the Dance Off competition senior year which was very exciting and a moment I will never forget.

Additionally, my senior year I decided to not play tennis and lacrosse so that I could join the Orchesis dance team which was only open to people who did dance year-round. This was a big decision for me because I had played tennis and lacrosse all my years at SMS so giving them up this late in my life was a huge deal. However, it ended up being the most rewarding decision because I was able to do the thing I loved the most, dance, and have the opportunity to choreograph my own senior solo, which was something I had dreamed about doing ever since I watched my first Orchesis concert. I think that having this experience made my passion for dance come to life and come full circle considering all the dance I had done leading up to this moment.

At UNC, when I became a member of Tri Delta I made sure to get involved in dance wherever I could, which meant Greek Groove. Greek Groove was very similar to the Dance Off at SMS, except Greek Groove was a competition between sorrorities to win money for charity,. I helped choreograph the dances for Greek Groove as well as participate in the dances which was a highlight of my career at Carolina. This year I still did Greek Groove even though it was virtual by creating a TikTok to raise money for charity.

Ultimately, I think dance is a huge part of my life and I would not be who I am today without exposing my passion for dance and performing.