“I’m going to the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and majoring in international relations and global studies.
I want to do dance at UT, and I’ve already looked for some dance studios around campus. eMotion was one of the periods I looked forward to most this year. I don’t understand how people live life without going to a class like that. We’re all really close to each other, and it’s such a fun environment. It’s my favorite thing, even though it’s stressful at times.
I was put in a dance class when I was 3 and actually took official training in second grade, which is kind of late [to start training], but I really liked it. It was challenging and a form of physical activity and art that I actually enjoyed.
Coming to Bellaire, I really wanted to be on eMotion. That was actually a big reason why I wanted to come. The styles of dance are very different. In middle school, they’re very drill team based — very sharp and stiff. On eMotion, we like to move our upper body a lot more fluidly. That was definitely a transition that I had to learn — how to really use all of my body and the space.
When incoming freshmen audition, you can see such a huge difference in motion. I think that eMotion really does teach you how to move your body beyond what you already know.
Each year, I felt like, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to get so much harder, and there will be so much more work to do.’ This year, especially with balancing all my International Baccalaureate (IB) and eMotion stuff, has been busier. I was scared I’d lose track of something or fail my responsibilities, but I managed to figure it out.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is only certain periods — zero, fourth and fifth — which ends up conflicting with my schedule. Since I make the [rehearsal] schedule, I was able to alternate the days so that I was present for the dances I’m in. The days when dances I wasn’t in were rehearsed, I was in TOK.
I think I’ve definitely gotten more confident in who I am through dance. I think I’ve also gotten more comfortable with the environment.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from coming to Bellaire was to not take everything so seriously. I tend to want everything to go perfectly, but things are going to come at you that you can’t predict, and that’s okay. People are not there to take you down; they’re there to support you. Take it easier, and it’ll all work out.”
