Biography
My love for dance started in the year 2008 when my uncle and mother took me to see my first ballet performance. They took me to see Ballet West's performance of Jewels by Jerome Robbins at the Kennedy Center. Unknowingly that one performance sparked an unbreakable love that continues to this day. I started dancing at Central Ballet Conservatory studying the ABT curriculum. I applied that knowledge to all aspects of my dance training. This allowed me to pursue many different dance forms and countless opportunities. I've continued my training through Collegiate Summer Intensives with American Ballet Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Company, and The Gibney Winter Intensive program. My passion for dance has led me to pursue a BFA in Dance Performance at Texas Woman's University for two years, then transferred to the University of Texas to finish my degree. While at each university I was selected to be a dancer for both the Texas Women's Competitive Dance Team as well as the University of Texas Dance Team. Discovering that dancer shouldn't be confined to a form or genre of movement.
Artist Statement
As a dance student and scholar I enjoy an intellectual dive into how a movement feels within our bodies and how that is expressed to the audience. I enjoy seeing how dancers relate to others within the space and the relationship that is cultivated between their own internal feelings of the moment, in relation to their non-verbal inherent communication of bodies connecting with one another. That develops in the studio through habitual practice with one's fellow dancers.
My most favorite works have been the ones that create community and connection between the dancers. I think that how we move is deeply connected to who we are as humans at our core. I believe one of the hardest parts of being a dancer is being able to convey a clear message with our body to an audience that isn’t hyper aware of how they move or articulate themselves. Because of this I am a mover that enjoys the discovery of how and why our bodies are connecting and relating to others through movement. Being able to share your own vulnerability with an audience is hard in and of itself. But a group of dancers being able to share and express collectively is more difficult. There are special bonds dancers have to make in order to feel comfortable with one another and to connect collectively as a core unit. Because of this, I enjoy the work and practice that is needed to cultivate a connection or motivation between dancers in order for an audience to have a clear understanding of the movement as a theme and plot.
Just like most things in dance, choreographing is a physical skill that takes a great deal of practice. As a choreographer my biggest priority is creating work that is inclusive and is properly attributed to the dancers and fellow collaborators. Being a young dancer and choreographer, I'm still figuring out my preferred movement preferences and language within choreographing works. That being said, I tend to focus on movement qualities and efforts within a framework. Coexisting within dance takes equal parts of collaboration and communication. Cultivating an environment that allows dancers and collaborators to speak freely without bias of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation is of the upmost importance. It is my responsibility to maintain balance so that collaborators can properly communicate effectively and respectfully between all parties. When we can’t verbally communicate respectfully then there is no way for us to non-verbally communicate with our bodies.