I am excited to be able to continue with the INSIDE THE STUDIO portion of our blog, allowing to grow that insight into another part within our dance world.
This post comes from recent grad and new VDT alum, Alana Nelson. We have been very excited for her new adventure as a UAB Golden Girl. I have read this post several times and every time it feels very refreshing. It is exciting and all to scary at the same time to grow as a person and sometimes this can be made harder when you have to give up an important part of life. Alana has been able to take an important part of her life and expand on it and carry it on. This INSIDE will give you a glimpse into what that is like- enjoy.
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As a recent graduate from Grissom high school as well as a VDT alum. The past year has been full of big decisions. Possibly the most important to me-whether or not I was going to continue to dance after high school.
As much as I may have wanted to, I knew I couldn't stay at VDT after high school and I had to make my next move. For a little while I had no idea what to do and I even considered shutting dance out of my life after graduation. But when I really sat and thought about it I couldn't imagine life without dance in it. I think other dancers will agree with me when I say dance goes beyond a hobby or even a passion-it becomes a part of you. Dance is a big part of what has shaped me into the lady I am today. I could not bear the thought of letting that part of myself go. I decided I was going to continue my dance career but that's when the really hard part came. What do I do now?
Well, while I was applying for colleges I was also scoping out all of my options. Growing up in a studio, training mostly in ballet, I never thought about how many options are out there. The best advice my mom gave me was to keep an open mind. I was entering a new stage in my life and I needed to be open to any opportunity that might come my way. My first step was auditioning for the dance major at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They accepted me, and while the program there is outstanding i got the gut feeling it somehow wasn't the absolute perfect fit for me. After that, I was lost again. My mom suggested trying out for the Golden Girls dance team at UAB. I immediately told her no since dance team is COMPLETELY different from anything I had ever done growing up at VDT. My mom reminded me to keep an open mind and just go to the auditions and give it a fair shot. So I went to the audition. I was very out of my comfort zone. It was about the complete opposite from ballet. Much to my surprise, I was chosen to be a part of the 2014-2015 UAB Golden Girls dance team and I have loved every minute of it!
I looked at it as an adventure and a chance to grow as a dancer. Putting my self out of my comfort zone and trying a new style has pushed me as a dancer in a way I've never been pushed before. I learned to take the incredible training I learned from Ms. Beam and the technique I worked so hard for and blend it with this new style of dance I'm learning. Last week I competed with my team at UDA Camp. That may have been the hardest thing I've done as a dancer. A long with competing, we were taking classes and learning choreography in styles like jazz, hip hop, and Pom. I did take jazz classes growing up, but Pom and hip hop were foreign styles to me. I had to push myself so that I could keep up and keep growing, all with a smile on face and a good attitude.
I have to trace this drive back to my ballet training. Ballet taught me discipline and that there's always something to improve on. The technique and ballet training I received from VDT gave me the foundation I needed to try new things in the dance world. To all the young dancers, I hope you keep an open mind to all styles. Be brave and don't be afraid to try something new, it will only make you stronger! Keep dancing!
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