My Views

I dance for a reason – I’ve kept this up for such a long time because I feel like I’ve gained community as well as personal growth. I’m currently taking a class at college, where students come from a variety of backgrounds and some people have more experience than others; there are dance majors adapting to the structure of the school’s dance program and non-majors (like me) who have previous experience and want to continue dancing. For the most part, everyone wants to be in class – even though it is a class taken for credit, we like what we do and are happy to learn together. Often, the difference in abilities can be an asset, because students with higher levels of proficiency can help explain concepts to students who are newer. At the student stage, it is possible to adapt exercises in class so that everyone is included – this is a difference between the learning and professional stages.

We had a practical exam (graded based on performance) a few weeks ago, and this is the best example of how everyone can work together, despite having individualized evaluations. We all work to our personal best, and can feed off of each other’s energy – ideally our movements are synchronous, but there is a sense of solidarity in going through the same thing together.