Ilana: Co-Captain of High School Dance Team, competition dancer at Jam
I chose to interview Ilana as we share several of the same feelings related to dance and our high school dance team. She danced with me at Jam, our dance studio, for as long as I can remember. We were both also apart of the Hills East Dixettes, the prestigious dance team at our high school. Senior year, Ilana and I were both named co-captains for the 2012-2013 school year. We were thrilled, however,knew this would be a challenge.
I conducted the interview online since Ilana is studying at Binghamton University in New York. I figured conducting this interview in her room would be a comfortable environment for Ilana. We started by casually catching up on one anthers lives and then went into deep conversation regarding dance and kick line.
I first asked her to tell me about her life as a competition dancer. She stated, "it was a completely different childhood." She talked about how a lot of her childhood friends were athletes and involved in school sports such as soccer or basketball and she was always known as the dancer. I completely agreed as I was one of the few who was in her shoes. She reminded me of the long, hard hours that went into competition dance. We would have practice several times throughout the week for several hours. Doing homework and catching up with friends was definitely difficult, she stated. There were times my social calendar was limited due to dance. I would have practice on Friday nights and was not able to go out with friends or celebrate peoples birthdays. She concluded her opinion on competition dance by stating that she wouldn't change it for the world and that it has truly shaped the person she is today.
The next question I asked Ilana was, "how were you able to integrate competition dance into your high school schedule along with kickline?" She really needed time to think about this question. We both had very similar answers to this! She started by saying how arduous it was to do both competition dance and kickline. "There were several times I would leave kickline hysterically crying complaining how I wanted to quit." "I just didn't have enough time to do it all!" I found this an enormous issue in my high school experience as well. There was simply not enough time for dance, school work, friends, and kickline. It was very difficult to find the balance between all the activities a teenager wants to do, she stated. There were times I debated quitting either kickline or competition. However, I knew quitters never get anywhere in life and I remained on both teams until senior year.
I then asked her, "how can you explain being captain of the Dixettes?" "Indescribable", was the first word that came out of her mouth. I completely agreed. This experience was unlike anything we've ever experienced and are forever grateful. "It has taught me so many valuable lessons such as friendship, commitment, positivity, and creativity." She told me how she had the ability to interact with girls she never thought she would have friendships with. Her personal creativity was also put to the test. As captain, she choreographed dances to perform and had the responsibility to teach the younger girls on the team. "I felt like I had a huge impact on the team as a whole." I agreed! We worked long hours meeting and discussing how to increase enthusiasm within the team. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday practices were no longer dreaded, but looked forward to. We wanted to make every girl special and have a voice. We both believed we did just that. Everyone was able to voice their opinions and the skills we learned as captains will carry with us for our entire lives. She stated that the most memorable experience was after our pep rally dance when the entire audience gave us a standing ovation. Teachers, students, and administration were all in awe as we completed our routine. "The work that goes into creating such a routine is often overlooked, but from this applause it was evident that the work that went in was much appreciated." We couldn't stop talking about the endless memories we had at kickline. "Those were the times I wouldn't change for the world. They made me a better person and taught me such valuable lessons such as time management and dedication." These skills we will carry with us into the work force and throughout our entire lives. It is thanks to kickline that we have matured as individuals learned such vital lessons.
I chose to interview Ilana as we share several of the same feelings related to dance and our high school dance team. She danced with me at Jam, our dance studio, for as long as I can remember. We were both also apart of the Hills East Dixettes, the prestigious dance team at our high school. Senior year, Ilana and I were both named co-captains for the 2012-2013 school year. We were thrilled, however,knew this would be a challenge.
I conducted the interview online since Ilana is studying at Binghamton University in New York. I figured conducting this interview in her room would be a comfortable environment for Ilana. We started by casually catching up on one anthers lives and then went into deep conversation regarding dance and kick line.
I first asked her to tell me about her life as a competition dancer. She stated, "it was a completely different childhood." She talked about how a lot of her childhood friends were athletes and involved in school sports such as soccer or basketball and she was always known as the dancer. I completely agreed as I was one of the few who was in her shoes. She reminded me of the long, hard hours that went into competition dance. We would have practice several times throughout the week for several hours. Doing homework and catching up with friends was definitely difficult, she stated. There were times my social calendar was limited due to dance. I would have practice on Friday nights and was not able to go out with friends or celebrate peoples birthdays. She concluded her opinion on competition dance by stating that she wouldn't change it for the world and that it has truly shaped the person she is today.
The next question I asked Ilana was, "how were you able to integrate competition dance into your high school schedule along with kickline?" She really needed time to think about this question. We both had very similar answers to this! She started by saying how arduous it was to do both competition dance and kickline. "There were several times I would leave kickline hysterically crying complaining how I wanted to quit." "I just didn't have enough time to do it all!" I found this an enormous issue in my high school experience as well. There was simply not enough time for dance, school work, friends, and kickline. It was very difficult to find the balance between all the activities a teenager wants to do, she stated. There were times I debated quitting either kickline or competition. However, I knew quitters never get anywhere in life and I remained on both teams until senior year.
I then asked her, "how can you explain being captain of the Dixettes?" "Indescribable", was the first word that came out of her mouth. I completely agreed. This experience was unlike anything we've ever experienced and are forever grateful. "It has taught me so many valuable lessons such as friendship, commitment, positivity, and creativity." She told me how she had the ability to interact with girls she never thought she would have friendships with. Her personal creativity was also put to the test. As captain, she choreographed dances to perform and had the responsibility to teach the younger girls on the team. "I felt like I had a huge impact on the team as a whole." I agreed! We worked long hours meeting and discussing how to increase enthusiasm within the team. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday practices were no longer dreaded, but looked forward to. We wanted to make every girl special and have a voice. We both believed we did just that. Everyone was able to voice their opinions and the skills we learned as captains will carry with us for our entire lives. She stated that the most memorable experience was after our pep rally dance when the entire audience gave us a standing ovation. Teachers, students, and administration were all in awe as we completed our routine. "The work that goes into creating such a routine is often overlooked, but from this applause it was evident that the work that went in was much appreciated." We couldn't stop talking about the endless memories we had at kickline. "Those were the times I wouldn't change for the world. They made me a better person and taught me such valuable lessons such as time management and dedication." These skills we will carry with us into the work force and throughout our entire lives. It is thanks to kickline that we have matured as individuals learned such vital lessons.