There are a lot of things that make me really happy. I love kids, laughing, singing, and good oldies music. I love soaking up the summer sun, and I love riding my bike along the lakefront. But few things bring me greater happiness than dancing! I love to dance. My mother really instilled in me the importance of living my life with a passion, and for me, it has always been best expressed on the dance floor. My first class began at the age of three, in the living room of a family friend, Nuria King. Nuria was a beautiful woman of an undetermined age, that had come from a boarding school in Spain at 18 to study at Boston Conservatory. I spent my youth on the bar, perfecting my rondejambes and attitudes, expressing whatever I was feeling on the smooth wooden floor.
It became apparent pretty early on for me that I would have to work extremely hard to keep a body that a ballet dancer would be comfortable having. I started competitive cheer leading summer before I started high school, under the careful tutelage of Coach Nichols-Stock, who taught me a lot about the character I have today. I loved that cheering combined the movement and energy that I adored so much in dance, without me having major image issues, and none of that raw energy needed to be suppressed.
After graduation, I went from class to class, trying to determine where I belonged. I consistently fell back to ballet through college, where I was comfortable, and familiar with what everything needed to be feeling like. I loved how free I felt in my modern and hip-hop classes, but my heart was in ballet.
It wasn't until I really moved to Chicago, and began to see the extremely talented dancers on the floor at clubs and other places, that I realized how much passion I could still put into dance just free styling it. Many people think I am a total nerd because of it, but I LOVE AND ADORE YSA STAKE DANCES. I don't know why. People are fabulously awkward, nervous, and sweaty there. But can I be outrageous? Yes. Can I jump up and down and have it look completely normal? Yes. Can i get a little eighth grade flashback when someone asks me to dance? Yes. Here's to Saturday night. Cheers.
