Alaina

Interview Transcription - Alaina Marchesani, 16

How long have you been dancing?

I think 11 or 12 years.

How has your experience progressed?

I switched studios a few times and I can tell as I went to different ones, I did get better at this last one.

How does it make you feel to be more experienced now than when you first started out?

It shows that, like, progress is worth it and like, practice makes permanent not perfect.

What does it feel like when you walk out on stage to perform?

Your heart's racing. It's just an adrenaline rush all at once. But a good one. Not scary.

What is your favorite dance?

Definitely hip hop.

How do you feel when you're dancing hip hop?

Free. Like, I can do, like, anything. Because hip hop is fluid and I feel so free.

When you're in the middle of a dance, what is going through your mind?

Mostly the counts. And how fast or slowly I have to perform.

How often do you practice?

It's 5 hours a week mostly. A little bit more.

How is practice different than when you're on stage?

At practice we have a mirror to look at. You can focus on yourself and other people on stage. It's just the audience and bright lights. So you just go with what you know.

Do you ever have an off day?

Yeah, definitely.

What do you do to fix it?

Just breathe. Take a minute and breathe.

Do you think it's mostly mindset or is it physical?

It can be both. Sometimes mindset, sometimes physical.

So if it is physical, what do you do then?

If I'm injured or something, stretch it out. Make sure it's not like something deeper.

What advice would you give to a dancer who's just starting out?

Don't give up. Just keep going.

What advice would you give to somebody who's afraid to start?

Just jump right in. It's not scary. I think I see how it could be. But just jump right in and you'll be fine.

What was your favorite part about the experience?

I like being the center of attention. And I was obviously.

This is not your first photo shoot with me. What made you decide to come back for a second photoshoot and especially a second dance photo shoot?

I felt that like last year, I felt more innocent, somewhat younger and I felt this year I could be more like myself. I held back last year. And this year I was like, I want this and this is what I want in my pictures. That's how it worked out.