1. What was your first experience with dance? Where? Who?
When?
I
started dancing when I was about 3. Some of my earliest and most vivid memories
are of dancing. The very first dance form I learned was Jazz. The first studio
I attended was in Calgary called Kal Sollaway’s. I can recall the space, the
studio, traveling across the floor, and even the steps we did. I still remember
the first song I ever danced to, “Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?” .

2. Is there an early dance experience that stands out in
your memory? Something you liked or disliked? Tell me about it.
Dance
has always been a part of my life. Sometimes I was enamored with it, and other
times I felt I should quit. I always practiced no matter what. I danced
everywhere and anywhere in my house. My dad, who I lovingly refer to as a
“dance dad”, used to yell, “Stop stomping around the house!” I would happily
move to another area of the house and continue to practice fouettes, grand
jette en tournant, pull backs, and double wings. Whether I was enamored or not,
I was determined to get it right. That practice, determination, and hard work
would keep me sane later on when I pursued my BFA in Dance at York University
in Toronto.
If
I could go back in time, I would not go back very far. I would go back to myself
in university; which I graduated from this past June 2012. I would say, “let
go! Throw yourself into the movement, practice like there’s no tomorrow, and
remember everything works out in the end. After all it's just small potatoes”.
In other words, don't make a mountain of a mole hill. ;)
4. How have you evolved as a dancer since that first
experience with dance?
Can
anyone do something for 20 years and not evolve? I have learned to listen to
the music, to slow down, and to focus on what I am doing. The one thing that hasn’t
changed is my willingness to try. Even in other areas of my life, I have always
tried. There is nothing more exhilarating than feeling, for even a second, that
you might fail. That precarious place makes success that much more satisfying.
No one can ever get to that place with out at least trying.
5. Off the top of your head, what are five words that
describe dance to you?
Five words that describe dance to
me are: emotional, trust, hard work, exhilarating, and satisfying.
Thank you for your honest and
heartfelt responses, Nadege!
No comments:
Post a Comment