Sienna

Video Transcription, Sienna Age 18

How long have you been dancing?

I've been dancing since I was four.

How has your experience progressed?

It's been great. I started at a studio that wasn't, you know, super great for my progression as a dancer. But then once I moved to OEM when I was seven, I've been dancing there ever since, and I've loved it.

How does it feel to be more experienced now?

It feels good.I'm not going to college for dance, but it's been a great experience and I feel like it's allowed me to grow in a lot of ways to be a really dedicated and disciplined person, not just in dance, but it's carried into other aspects of my life too.

What does it feel like to walk on stage?

It feels a little nerve wracking, but it feels really good after all the months of practice that we do. It's really an exciting moment.

What is your favorite dance or favorite style of dance?

My favorite style is contemporary. I think mostly because I just do it the most, but it's a good way to get your emotions out, so. You can really be really expressive with it. But I also like ballroom to switch it up. It's really fun.

How do you feel when you're dancing?

It depends on the class, but I think if it's a combo that I'm able to feel really good about, and like I was saying, get my emotions out, then it just is really nice. It's kind of a release from everything else.

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

Absolutely nothing. My mind is just blank when I'm dancing on stage, especially.

How often do you practice?

Every day. I mean, we have classes Monday through Thursday, and then every Saturday it's eight hour rehearsals for our dances.

How is practice different than when you are on stage?

In practice, I actually am thinking because we're getting active correction, so you kind of have to, you know, pay attention and make sure that everyone's all together so that once you're on stage, it can be muscle memory and yeah, it's just easy.

Do you ever have an off day? And if so, how do you shift back?

Yeah, I definitely have off days.Like I was saying, dance is the way that I get my emotions out. So it's kind of hard not to carry your emotions from your day into the studio, but I think I just bounce back by the end of the night. Tomorrow is going to be a new day. It's a new time stepping into the studio. So I have to just let it go whatever happened that night.

What advice would you give to a dancer who is just starting out or is afraid to start?

I would say don't be too hard on yourself because we all have off days. Even if you're one of the best dancers in the world, You're still going to have days that you're watching yourself and you don't feel really great about it. But we were actually just talking about there's always a place for somebody in dance. There's a place for everyone that someone's going to watch you and say, Oh, wow, that was really beautiful. So don't be too hard on yourself.

What was your favorite part of this whole experience?

My favorite part, possibly getting ready and also seeing the pictures afterwards because I'm hard on myself, but seeing the pictures and seeing that, you know, they turned out the way that I wanted them to do is really nice.