We Will See
Each summer for the past three years, I have asked a group of young dancers where they are with dance. I leave the question open-ended in order for them to answer however it resonates personally. My goal is to create a yearly check-in by which to chart how these young women grow through dance.
Below are Georgia’s shifting perspectives over the past three years. I eagerly await what direction her path will lead in future years and what role dance will play. – Emmaly Wiederholt
2015 – Georgia at age 17
Last year, I was accepted to the dance conservatory at Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts.
I spent the year on the team and I loved it! I re-auditioned, got back on the team and was even voted as officer (or team captain).
I started out this school year with a plan to go into political science and I am now set on going into pre-med. It was a pretty crazy switch but now I’m worried about where dance falls into this. I’m one week into summer and not dancing is already driving me kinda crazy so I’m not sure what I will do when it comes time to apply for colleges this fall. We will see!
2014 – Georgia at 16
Last year at this time, I was kind of on the outs with dance.
I wanted to try new things and see what else I could do…
I tried some sports and greatly reduced my dance time. I still had studio time five days a week but it released all the pressure that came with Ballet West. I choreographed some pieces for my school and was the teacher assistant for our director.
Taking it easy with dance made me remember how much I love it.
I auditioned for Dance Conservatory at my school this year and was accepted. I’m heading back to the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance soon also.
I’m so excited for everything that’s coming!
I don’t know what I will do when college comes, but I’m so happy to get this time in high school.
Definitely on an upswing.
2013- Georgia at 15
Dance. It’s pretty complicated right now.
To give a little intro to my history with dance:
I started dancing when I was 2 years old. I moved around a lot so I’ve trained a lot of different places. I moved to Utah a year ago and trained with Ballet West in the academy. I go to a school of the arts here where I take all modern and jazz classes. I have never taken a break from ballet classes over the last 13 years, although in 7th grade I had a period where I doubted what I was doing all these years but I just told myself to just keep going.
Throughout my stay at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance I started to question all these years of ballet again.
It’s hard to figure out how to write these things.
I was incredibly happy at SFCD. I learned it’s important to do what makes you feel good.
Which made me think about all my ballet training over all these years and my time with Ballet West. I realized that ballet has never made me feel good. I’m good at it, which made a false sense of feeling good.
So I am pretty sure I’m quitting ballet after I finish this Ballet West summer intensive.
I want to keep with modern at school and a once in a while class. But also I just want to look at all other things I can do that’s not dance. Be a teenager. Do more photography. Learn Italian. I’ve never had time to find these things out.
I don’t know.