Ballet and My History With It

I have been doing ballet since age two. As I got older it was made clear that ballet was designed for a very specific body type. At first several teachers claimed that if my body didn’t change I would never be able to do ballet and be taken seriously. This claim, along with years of comments on my weight, diet, size and general appearance made ballet a difficult art to pursue. Fortunately, I was not only determined to prove them wrong, but I loved the art of ballet. The concept of a fluid-like movement created by strengthening the most intricate muscles and tendons was of deep fascination. In middle school, I spent hours studying the history of ballet and researching several traditional and modern ballets performed worldwide. Inspired by ballerinas such as Evelyn Cisneros and Misty Copeland. I decided to seek private tutoring from the professional dancers at The Washington Ballet® to better my skills beyond studio training. My hard work had paid off and my strength grew, working toward any young ballet dancer’s goal of putting on a pair of pointe shoes, which I finally did when I turned fourteen. Working en pointe for several months, I quickly developed a pain that all of the physical therapy in the world couldn’t seem to alleviate. Eventually I found out that I had an extra bone in my ankle which would need to be removed surgically. After much thought, I chose to proceed with the surgery. Unfortunately I would fully not recover until years later, forcing her pointe journey to come to an early conclusion. After the Covid-19 pandemic, a new ballet teacher, Miss Eileen, changed my ballet journey for the better. For the first time I was allowed and encouraged to train with health and recovery in mind. Miss Eileen’s encouragement fostered a new sense a passion. Today ballet follows me everywhere unapologetically.

Tap And My History With It

I began learning tap when I was three years old, but it wasn’t until I was eleven that I met Mr. Mark Orsborn, a renowned tap dancer and choreographer who would change the course of my dance journey forever. Mr. Mark taught tap dance from a more musical and rhythmic standpoint. As an aspiring musician, this really resonated with me, so I decided to audition for Mr. Mark’s pre-professional tap company, The JaM Youth Project® (JYP). Becoming a part of the “JaMily” was a major turning point in my dance career. Not only providing me with intense training, but teaching me a better way to study my craft. The faculty of JYP taught me the importance of studying a dance’s history and roots, and understanding where it comes from, where it is now, and where it is going. As I learned of tap dance’s beginnings during the late stages of the Civil War, and before emancipation, it became clear that much of tap’s history belonged to Irish immigrants and freed slaves. With this in mind, I began to study and train a bit differently. After I graduated high school I took African dance and drumming classes to continue my tap training.

Jazz

My Jazz training began at age five at DCDC, but it is worth noting that there are several definitions of “jazz” within the dance industry. First off there is “vernacular jazz”, fostered by choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Katherine Dunham, and Jack Cole, and typically accompanying traditional jazz music and rhythm. There is then “musical theatre jazz” which is used to describe the dances performed in musicals, generally referring to those during the golden age of theatre. And then there is “commercial jazz”. Commercial jazz is typically the kind of dance you’d see at the concerts of various pop artists on tour and in music videos, as well as the kind of dancers in films and television shows. I have had proficient training in all three and have recently begun to explore more mature styles such as burlesque, heels, and pole.

Hip hop

Hip hop is one of my favorite styles. One of the reasons being it is the most mainstream and therefore the most social. It is one of the easiest ways to connect with people, especially at parties and clubs. There are so many different styles of hip hop and its diversity is what makes it rich and encapsulating. I studied hip hop at DCDC and received various convention scholarships in hip hop classes at both Tremaine Dance Conventions® and DanceMakersInc®. I also attended the “Summer of Hip Hop” intensive with the Joffrey Ballet School in 2017.

Contemporary/Modern

While I have practiced and taken classes for contemporary dance for many years. it wasn’t until recently I took a modern dance class at LIU Post. It was there where I gained an understanding of the roots of modern dance and how it broke off from traditional ballet. While I do not currently train in contemporary or modern dance, I am proficient in both styles.

Ballroom

In my final two years at DCDC, I began taking ballroom classes at the beginner level. I learned the basics of Salsa, Fox Trot, Samba, Merengue, Swing, Waltz and Bachata. While not yet proficient in any one ballroom form, I continues to take ballroom classes to better my understanding of technique.

African

In my freshman year at LIU Post, I took my first African dance class. I was absolutely mesmerized and enchanted by it. Not only was the drummer to dancer relationship exceedingly fascinating, but African dance is the root of all my favorite styles like tap, jazz and hip hop. In many ways, studying African dance felt like a full circle moment. I went on to study African dance’s history and learn not only the various traditional dances but the traditional rhythms that accompanied them. In January 2026 I had the privilege to go to Conakry, Guinea in West Africa to study both dance and drumming.

Dance reel 2026

“I’m Free” Choreographed by Mael Tima.

Dance Reel 2024