Dance student

Student Spotlight: Jemma Wilson

December 29, 2014 by Rachel Hellwig

Jemma is currently in her third year studying Musical Theatre at Laine Theatre Arts in the UK. She writes for London Theatre Direct in her spare time and will soon begin teaching at a local theatre school, Tomorrow’s Talent.

1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?

I remember attending my older sister’s dance classes when I was very young and wanting desperately to join in with what the older girls were doing! It didn’t take long before I began taking classes too, and it has just grown and grown from there. My parents are very supportive and have always encouraged me to do what I enjoy doing, which I am very grateful for.

2. What do you find you like best about dance class?

Dance classes are the best when you have a great atmosphere. Dance offers a sense of unity, both on stage and in the studio, that I have not found anywhere else – everybody works diligently and it is amazing to give and receive support from fellow performers. The feeling when you ‘get’ something better than you’ve got it before is really good- you might not nail it every single time, but if you get a tiny bit better each time then you are improving!

3. What is the hardest part about dance for you?

Pirouettes on the left side!!

The best and worst thing about dance is how it drains you – emotionally and physically! I love feeling like I’ve worked my hardest, pushed myself further than I did yesterday and consequently achieved more, but it certainly is exhausting! It makes you appreciate any quieter time you do have in life, although it is very difficult to shut off from it. Sometimes I close my eyes to go to sleep and can hear my teachers shouting “once more from the top, 5, 6, 7, 8!”. I have learned to value my weekends a lot more, and to give myself ‘me-time’: watching television with my housemates, reading a book, having a bath.

4. What advice would you give to other dancers?

It’s such a cliché, but make the most of your training. I am now coming to the end of my three years at Laine, and am growing increasingly worried about how quickly my remaining time is slipping away. Once I leave college I know it will be up to me to maintain my physical fitness, ensure I keep motivated, and make sure I don’t let my technique slip for auditions. Also remember how lucky you are to have picked the best job in the world (in my opinion!) – you are hopefully going to be paid to do the thing you love the most, which is performing on stage. Technique classes seem awful at the time, but all your teachers want you to be the best you can potentially be – that is why they nag you so much!

5. How has dance changed your life?

Dance has always been a huge influence on me, and now it is something that my life would not be complete without. I think every performer knows how exhilarating the feeling of being on stage is and I’m so grateful that I have discovered it. Changing dance from my hobby to my career choice was a scary thing to do, but I know that I have chosen an amazing, if impossibly competitive, industry to go into. I intend to learn as much as I can from everybody in the industry that I come into contact with, as I believe that you never stop learning.

Student Spotlight: Celia Tolan

October 23, 2014 by 4dancers

dance student from STEPS — Celia Tolan at The School at Steps’ Holiday Performance, photo by Eduardo Patino

How did you first get interested in dance?

My older sister, Hannah, danced at The School at Steps. As a 2 ½ year old, I remember sitting in my stroller outside Debbie Roshe’s musical theatre class every Thursday night watching her dance. I loved watching the class and knew I had to dance too. Soon after, my mom signed me up for tap, ballet, and jazz classes where I discovered dance was my passion.

How many classes a week do you take now, and what kind are they?

Right now I take twelve classes a week. In addition to the five ballet, three pointe and two Horton classes, I take jazz and musical theatre. I hope to add in hip hop and tap if I can fit them in my schedule!

What is it about dancing that you enjoy most?

I enjoy the freedom, empowerment, and positive energy I feel when I’m dancing. As I enter the studio, my mind travels to an entirely different world, where I am able to express myself in various ways. When performing on a stage, I feel empowered, as though I could do anything! No matter what, when I dance I feel as though I am pushing away any negative energy and creating something positive. I love movement – it makes me feel so alive!

What is it that you find most difficult about dance?

What I find most difficult about dance is finding the confidence to believe I can learn new steps and routines. I sometimes think to myself ‘I can’t do that’ when learning new choreography, or trying to hit that triple pirouette. But when I doubt myself, or lose my confidence, I know I need to tell myself “Just relax, you can do it. Just go for it.” And I do!

What have you learned about yourself from dance?

Before I started dancing I felt as though I knew very little about myself or what I was capable of. Now that I have been dancing for 9 ½ years at The School at Steps, I have begun to understand so much more about myself. I have learned I am strong, passionate, disciplined, and focused. I use these four assets throughout not just my dance career, but in my daily life.

What advice do you have for other dance students?

There are two things I always tell myself. The first is not to worry about anything that’s happening in studio or out of the studio. Use dance to free your mind and body, and just have fun when you dance! And the second is when you think you have given it your all, when you feel as though you are done, dig even deeper within yourself and leave it all on stage – or in the studio! You will love the feeling it gives you! Most importantly, love dance as much as dance loves you!

The School at Steps is a training ground for students, ages 2-18, who are interested in exploring various dance styles, as well as for those students already focused on a particular discipline. The school offers an Academic Year and Summer Programs, with classes in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, theater dance, hip hop, and Pilates. Students at the school are also given performance opportunities, and workshops on dance and career-related topics. Beginning with the Young Dancers Program and continuing through the most advanced pre-professional classes, The School at Steps provides children with an opportunity to explore the world of dance, to learn and experiment with technique, and to enrich their appreciation for the various forms of the art.

Student Spotlight: Kelsie Moreno

February 18, 2013 by Rebecca H. Walker

For today’s Student Spotlight we give a warm welcome to dancer Kelsie Moreno…

541446_10150664405691868_611825027_n — Dancer, Kelsie Moreno

1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?

My mom put me in gymnastics when I was 5. I did it for 2 years but because I wasn’t very flexible I didn’t really enjoy it after a while. I tried soccer at 8, but it wasn’t for me. My mom put me in ballet just before my 9^th birthday. I did ballet 1 hour a week for 6 months before I also added jazz. I started taking more classes after that and by the time I was 12 I was competing. Even though I had been competing since I was 12, I didn’t really get into dance or discover my passion for it until I was 16. I am so glad and very grateful that I was put into dance.

When I was 17, my old studio closed down and it left me without a place to dance. I went to another studio for a bit but it just wasn’t the right one for me and I started to question my commitment to dance. I found Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance after seeing them at a dance competition. Once I started taking classes at Nuevo, I rediscovered my passion for dance and why I wanted to be a dancer. Being here has given me the right tools to develop into a much better and well-rounded dancer.

2. What do you find you like best about dance class? [Read more…]

Student Spotlight: Morgan Forth

January 14, 2013 by Rebecca H. Walker

Featuring in today’s Student Spotlight is dancer Morgan Forth, recent graduate from Middlesex University.

1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?

Coming from a secondary school where dance was a part of the curriculum, it started off as merely another subject. My true passion for dance came when I was 14 when (dragged by friend) I joined a new boys’ dance group called Alpha Dance. Their first project was the opening ceremony of the Olympics in which they saw an opportunity to get ‘boys into dance’. During this I found a whole new sense of accomplishment and I began to fall in love being able to perform and not quiver to the background as I was used to. I began to feel at home in dance.

2. What do you find you like best about dance class?
Getting lost in the movement has always been my favourite part of class. Not so much that you forget what you are meant to be doing, but just enough that your emotions start to spiral in and develop into a phrase. Becoming one with the movement is genuinely exhilarating.

3. What is the hardest part about dance for you?
The hardest part will always be the little demons that tell me I’m not good enough to be doing this. Suffering from low self-esteem has always been a great obstacle and often damages my belief to progress. It doesn’t normally help when you’re constantly surrounded by others that seem to be able to continue to push and achieve at a higher rate, but you then remember why you love it and things start figuring themselves out again!

4. What advice would you give to other dancers?
One thing is to never let other people dishearten you. You need to always remember why you dance. As soon as that is clear then nothing else will matter because you will know in your core that what you are doing is the right thing. Dance at its base is a freedom of expression, but in order to have this freedom you must have discipline. That is not to say you can’t be immature: some of the greatest pieces came from messing about! But in order to push the boundaries you need to know what the boundaries are.

5. How has dance changed your life?
Dance has given me a sense of purpose, it turned me from an extremely quiet and shy nobody to a quiet and shy person that can perform to hundreds of people and not be scared. It brought me great friends and mentors, people I hope never to lose contact with. It has taken me on tour to the Fringe festival and through playful workshops lead. It constantly reminds me that I can be more and do more, and that if you fall over just do it with style and carry on…no one needs to know.

BIO: Morgan Forth graduated from Middlesex University with First class honours after completing both GCSE and A Level dance at North Leamington School and Arts College. He joined Alpha Dance youth dance company in 2003 and took part in various productions across Coventry and Warwickshire until 2008. Throughout university Morgan had the chance to collaborate with Masters students in their choreographic work and also understudied both male parts in Bertram Ross’ Nocturne. He is currently a company dancer and Administrator with KindredDance, performing at Sifdans festival, at artsdepot London and for eleven.org. In addition to this, he is also a company dancer with Avoidance, touring London and to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012. Morgan is currently beginning to pursue research into the progression of modern dance and the internalising use of breath for the body.

Student Spotlight: Steffi Acain

May 14, 2012 by 4dancers

Today we have another “student spotlight” to share with you. Meet Steffi Acain from Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance….

1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?

When I was four years old my parents thought I was very shy and awkward around people my own age because I was an only child. So to remedy my lack of social skills, they enrolled me into my first dance class at The Dance Spot. My parents thought it would just be something fun for me to do after school. But after those first initial years, I think they started to take notice that I actually held promise and passion for dance. I then started competing at dance competitions, performing at recitals, attending various intensives, and taking classes at other studios in order to expand my dance vocabulary.

Currently, I am eighteen years old and a member of the Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance. I train about four to five hours a day, five days a week, in styles ranging from ballet and jazz to contemporary and hip hop. After having dance in my life for so long, my love and appreciation for the art form has grown every single day. And if it were up to me to judge, I would say that I’m not as socially awkward as I used to be.

2. What do you find you like best about dance class?

For me, I think just having that opportunity to take class so that I can learn and grow more as a dancer is my favorite aspect. One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned from dance is that you get what you put into it. Taking class can be nothing but help to a dancer because it is one of those rare times when mistakes are forgivable and expected. This is the time when you can experiment with what works on your body and truly explore who you are & can be as a dancer. Class can only be what you make of it. So although it is important to be physically present, you will only truly benefit if you are mentally and emotionally invested as well.

Nuevo 1 — 'Palladio' with choreography by Francisco Gella, Steffi Acain - back row center

Taking class is such an amazing experience because that is when I not only get to enjoy dancing myself, but also watching my friends dance and learning from them. Seeing different people interpret the same music and choreography in their own way is very eye opening since it shows the universal language of dance. The classroom experience is so real because you can’t hide behind make-up, costumes, or stage lights. It’s simply just dance at its most authentic state.

3. What is the hardest part about dance for you?

Personally, the hardest part is staying motivated and focused. Being in high school, especially as a senior, there have been so many times when I have let my mind wander off because I was worried about where I was going to be next year and what I was going to be doing. I would especially get even more anxious when trying to figure out how dance was going to fall into the equation. However, when I stopped thinking about problems that I could not fix at the moment and started focusing on what I was doing right then and there, that is when I got the most out of the class. Fortunately, I have an outlet like dance that allows me to temporarily forget about my problems and express how I am feeling through movement.

4. What advice would you give to other dancers?

My advice to dancers would be to always have faith in yourself. As dancers, we are constantly being compared and ranked against one another. It’s then that we begin to feel self-conscious of our looks and even question our own abilities. But despite what a judge at a local competition or a random bystander may think, it’s always important to have confidence in yourself and what you do. Their opinion is just one out of many people watching. It’s only natural that we are drawn to specific dancers more than others. By letting a couple of negative comments affect how you perceive yourself, you are not only doing an injustice to yourself but also to the many hours you have worked and trained to get to where you are.

Basically, just remember to believe in yourself. Even if you may not have the best technique or you’re not as skinny as the dancer standing next to you, I think everyone is drawn to a performer who possesses confidence. Before you expect people to believe that you are good, you have to believe that you are good enough and worth their attention. Although it is easier said than done, I think believing in yourself -both onstage and off- is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself.

5. How has dance changed your life?

Dance has been such a positive influence on my life. I definitely would not be the same person without it nor can I imagine my life without dance. Aside from growing as a dancer in the studio, dance has helped me grow as a person in the real world. From dance, I’ve learned what hard work, dedication, and perseverance can bring. The work ethic that has been instilled in me at the studio has also helped me succeed in school and other activities. Most importantly, the friends and relationships that I have made through dance are ones that I will carry even after the stage lights go down. My entire dance experience thus far will forever have a lasting impression on me.

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