Today I figured I would share a little bit more about me. For those of you that know me or that have read my about page before now, you know that dance is a rather significant part of my life. It’s one of those things I can honestly say is a piece of me that will never leave.
It was pretty apparent as I started school and attempted playing sports that I was meant to be a dancer. Yes, I was brought up in it since I was 3, but even though I tried, I couldn’t make anything else click. I tried basketball, volleyball, softball, and track…nothing. Take a look at my junior high volleyball picture, yep, total dancer pose.
And this next one about sums it up…
…I was the dancer, while all my friends were the athletes.
So, once I hit high school I gave up on sports and really concentrated on dance. I started going to a bigger studio, continued competing, and through that my passion for dance kept growing.
From 2006 to 2011, I attended Burn the Floor Performing Arts Camp and the last few years I was a camp counselor. This was the highlight of my summer every year. A week full of dancing, taking class from some of the best, and meeting new people; it doesn’t get much better!
Taking classes outside of my regular weekly classes was always refreshing. Throughout my years in the studio I attended many conventions and classes. I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked with amazing and talented choreographers. To this day I still love to take class.
All of these things led up to me being able to take advantage of an opportunity that was the doorway to many others. My freshman year of high school through my sophomore year of college I taught dance to the kids in my hometown. Our studio started off as something my mom and I did in the basement of our home but then eventually turned into something bigger. It got so big that we moved to an actual studio and we let someone else run the business.
The studio really was my life for those six years and even though I love where life has taken me, I miss my kids and still teach wherever and whenever I can.
As the studio grew, fitness classes like Zumba were also offered. Skeptically, I tried it out and come to find out, I loved it! The more I did, the more I started to fall in love with fitness, exercise, and well-being.This helped me in making my decision for my undergraduate degree, and thanks to that I am now only one year away from having my bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
I decided I wanted to start teaching classes myself so I bought all the equipment I would need and got my group exercise certification through AFAA.
I have been certified for almost two years and I am planning to further my education in years to come. In August, I will be attending a PiYo certification workshop and within the next two years I plan on obtaining my personal training certification as well as my strength and conditioning specialist certification.
I taught my group circuit classes at the studio for about 4 months before life took me in a different direction. That direction just happened to be the Piston’s Dance Team.
This past year with the team was nothing short of amazing. The opportunities, the people and the dancing made it an experience of a lifetime. And to think, if I wouldn’t have done this, I would have missed out on meeting some of my closest friends, and honestly, can’t imagine life any other way.
Whether I’m teaching, taking classes, or performing, there’s no doubt in my mind that dance will always be a part of my life. I’m so thankful that I have been able to dance throughout my entire life and I can’t wait to see what else it has in store for me.
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Attention dancers in the Metro Detroit area!!!! As I said above I love to take class and will be in search of more throughout the summer. Any classes I hear of I’ll be sure to let you know. And help me out as well, let me know if your studio or if you hear of classes in your area.
