Georgia: On To The Next Adventure
Each summer for the past four 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 to chart how these young women grow and mature through dance.
Below are Georgia’s shifting perspectives over the past four years. I eagerly await what direction her path will lead in the future, and what role dance will play. –Emmaly Wiederholt
2016 – age 18
This past year has been quite exciting. I was on the Salt Lake School for the Performing Art’s dance conservatory yet again. It wasn’t the experience I was planning on due to various dramatic events, but I’m still happy I stuck with it. I graduated, and now I’m on to the University of Washington to study nursing. I have decided to continue with modern dance at a studio in Seattle. I’ve gotten some studio recommendations, and when I move out there I will start taking classes. I know dance is always going to be a part of my life even though it’s not the center of my world anymore. I’m on to the next adventure and we’ll see how heavily dance is a part of it.
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 – age 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 – age 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.
One Response to “Georgia: On To The Next Adventure”
I can understand your decision to move on and learn other skills. I was a professional dancer , teacher, and choroegrapher for 20 years and after that length of time, I too decided there was more to life. In a way, I would have liked to leave the dance world sooner. It was my whole career life and as you know that does not allow for a lot else. Best wishes to you, Georgia.
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