I don’t go out on Friday nights. The odd thing is that I don’t wish to be anywhere else but there: in the studio where mangled bobby pins, stranded clumps of hair, forgotten toe spacers, sweaty warm ups, and abandoned water bottles lay strewn across the floor. Like every little girl, I was enrolled in ballet classes at my local recreation center at age three but my real dancing career didn’t start until I began high school. Training everyday at Denver Academy of Ballet, I took classes in ballet, modern, jazz, pointe, pas-de-deux, and repertoire. During my time there I trained for and competed in Youth America Grand Prix as well as performed notable roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and Giselle in Giselle. Although, it wasn’t all fun and breezy.
While in high school, I suffered from depression, low self esteem, and anorexia. I was even prevented from dancing the role of Sugar Plum my sophomore year one week before the show because my director had, rightly, deemed me too unhealthy to dance and I had to recover before I could do another plié. Ballet more than anything else has always been my light and therapy; It motivated me to recover as well as to do well in school. I participated in NHS and FHS, took AP classes, achieved high honors, and won several awards and scholarships because ballet had instilled in me discipline and taught me how to work hard and enjoy it.
I would also like to note that none of this would have been possible without the help and guidance of my wonderful teachers such as Rob and Chandra Kuykendall, Tiffany Best, and Faith Madison. They were all like parents and friends to me and I would not be where I am today without them - Thank you. All those Friday nights in the studio were really worth it. As of September 2014, I have been training with esteemed professors such as Carol Roderick, Chung-Fu Chang, and Jane Slusarski-Harris as a dance major at Colorado State University. I've had the opportunity to take courses in the essentials such as ballet and modern technique, as well as classes such as improvisation, choreography, repertoire, and dance history. My technique has revamped and refreshed here and it’s paying off. I was lucky enough to perform the 2nd Odalisque variation from La Bayadere as a freshman in the Fall Dance Concert as well as guest artist Judy Bejarano’s piece and several student pieces.
This spring I have been accepted to numerous summer intensives and I have even been offered a spot in the pre-professional program at State Street Ballet for the 2015-16 school year. I am uncertain of what lies ahead, but I am thankful for all the teachers that supported and inspired me on my journey thus far and I hope that I will continue to improve and give more everyday.