I know I am deviating from the normal Disney content but I am on my last day of teaching for the summer and figured I would give you all a little insight into what my dance life looks like. I have been to North Carolina to Tennessee to South Carolina and back to North Carolina over the last two weeks teaching kids from all over the country an setting choreography on some of them. I am definitely ready to be home but this has been a great three weeks of dancing with some special people!
Competition & Convention
When you see me on social media backstage or posting pictures of Disney dances on stage that’s when I’m working for Dance Machine Productions. I have been involved with Dance Machine in one way or another for 15 years but this year I have been able to do a full tour! I usually just judge when I am there but this year I also got to work backstage. I loved working backstage because I really got to see the kids backstage and snap all those cute pictures with the Disney dances.
This is a fun job because I get to travel so much, all over the country and watching talented dancers from all over everywhere. It gets hard when it’s so many weekends in a row but it is super rewarding to be able to touch so many dancers lives.
Teaching & Traveling
My favorite thing is to teach a good technique class or set a fun piece of choreography to a group of dancers! I have had the privilege of teaching for Dance Machine conventions this year, the Dancer of the Year program at nationals and a handful of studios. This is super fun for me because I get to go in and just pour into young dancers and feed off their energy. Plus when you get to be the guest teacher they get excited for what you’re doing with them. Speaking from experience, when you are the regular teacher every week sometimes you get treated like the old shoe, even though you are the most important teacher they have.
Seeing Friends & Family
One of the best things about all this traveling is that I get to see friends, family and friends who are like family! I got to fly in early a few times to spend some time with my mom, dad and brother. I also got to work alongside my very best friend this season which was amazing! If you follow me on instagram you saw our silly videos! Hahaha!
Thankfully, I get to work with a ton of my friends who feel like family on these tour cities. I also got to see my dancers from the studio I sold as well as other dancers I’ve known since they were little. It is the biggest privilege to get to watch these dancers grow into amazing artists. I have also had the pleasure of meeting some new friends and new young dancers that I just adore!
Conclusion
I know this was a little off topic for my usual posts but I felt like I should share a little insight into my dancing life since I am closing out my dance season for this year today. I am beyond exhausted but I have a very full heart and am so thankful for everything this art has given and afforded me. It has truly been my outlet for my whole life in one way or another. And although I have sold my studio and started a new chapter in my dance life, I still truly do love it so much.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my dancing life as opposed to my Disney life. I so appreciate you all and hope you have the most magical day!