Mom: the one who has been with my through my entire dance career
I figured interviewing my mom would give a unique perspective into my dance career. She has been with me through it all, starting with dance at age two all the way to kickline at age 18. My mom and I never really sat down and discussed how bring a dancer influenced her life. It was interesting to see from her perspective what it was like having a daughter who danced.
The first question I asked my mom was, "why did you choose dance for me?" "It's actually a funny story" she said. She explained how at first she enrolled me in soccer and my sister in dance. Every Saturday morning my sister, Rachel, would attend dance class. I would stare at the girls in class in awe and wish that was me. Every Saturday my mom would bring me to the dane studio to watch Rachel and her friends. I was so fascinated that I would go home and teach myself the routine to "I'm Getting Married In The Morning." It was days before the recital and the dance teacher, Michele, called my mom over to speak to her. She said, "Denise, would Alex be willing to participate in the recital? One of the girls just dropped out and we have an uneven number of performers." My mom did not know what to say. She asked me and I said yes without hesitation! This was my chance to perform in front of a large audience, something I've longed to do for a very long time. This is how I started to dance.
I then asked her "how does it feel being a dance mom?" She laughed as the first thing that came to her mind was the lifetime show. "It's definitely much different than the show I might add." She explained to me how it is a high-maintenance sport and is very costly. There are charges for classes, extra practices, costumes, and professional pictures. "I loved watching you on stage. Your energy and enthusiasm lit up the room. That is probably why you had a solo and received several special awards." She told me that similar to my dance friends, she too made dance mom friends. "Being a dance mom was definitely social." She explained how she and the other girls' moms would go out for dinner and drinks, as well as with the choreographers. "I became close with several interesting woman I wouldn't have met otherwise." This is a sport that unlike soccer, requires much more than moms being responsible for bringing the end of the game snacks or cheering on their team. It requires energy and love for your child, and the maintenance that goes into raising a dancer is extremely tiring.
The next question I asked her was, "are you happy that I stuck with dance?" "How could I not be" she cried! "It's something you love and you're good at." Although she would have loved for me to keep singing and acting, she knew dance was always embedded in my genes. "The leadership roles you've acquired from being a dancer are incredible and have taught you such valuable lessons no other experience would have taught." My mom loved watching me practice in my room or at the studio and was fascinated with the choreography I would create for the girls on kickline. "The relationships you've formed and the bonds you've created are unforgettable and have shaped who you are as a person. It is with this that I would not change the face that you grew up as a dancer." She was extremely happy that I stuck with dance and found an activity I was passionate about.
We then discussed dance at Emory. She was disappointed that I am not enrolled in any dance classes or apart of the Emory Dance Company. She understands that it's a huge commitment and that freshman year is hard enough. However, within the next years, she hopes I start participating and regain my passion and love for dance.
I figured interviewing my mom would give a unique perspective into my dance career. She has been with me through it all, starting with dance at age two all the way to kickline at age 18. My mom and I never really sat down and discussed how bring a dancer influenced her life. It was interesting to see from her perspective what it was like having a daughter who danced.
The first question I asked my mom was, "why did you choose dance for me?" "It's actually a funny story" she said. She explained how at first she enrolled me in soccer and my sister in dance. Every Saturday morning my sister, Rachel, would attend dance class. I would stare at the girls in class in awe and wish that was me. Every Saturday my mom would bring me to the dane studio to watch Rachel and her friends. I was so fascinated that I would go home and teach myself the routine to "I'm Getting Married In The Morning." It was days before the recital and the dance teacher, Michele, called my mom over to speak to her. She said, "Denise, would Alex be willing to participate in the recital? One of the girls just dropped out and we have an uneven number of performers." My mom did not know what to say. She asked me and I said yes without hesitation! This was my chance to perform in front of a large audience, something I've longed to do for a very long time. This is how I started to dance.
I then asked her "how does it feel being a dance mom?" She laughed as the first thing that came to her mind was the lifetime show. "It's definitely much different than the show I might add." She explained to me how it is a high-maintenance sport and is very costly. There are charges for classes, extra practices, costumes, and professional pictures. "I loved watching you on stage. Your energy and enthusiasm lit up the room. That is probably why you had a solo and received several special awards." She told me that similar to my dance friends, she too made dance mom friends. "Being a dance mom was definitely social." She explained how she and the other girls' moms would go out for dinner and drinks, as well as with the choreographers. "I became close with several interesting woman I wouldn't have met otherwise." This is a sport that unlike soccer, requires much more than moms being responsible for bringing the end of the game snacks or cheering on their team. It requires energy and love for your child, and the maintenance that goes into raising a dancer is extremely tiring.
The next question I asked her was, "are you happy that I stuck with dance?" "How could I not be" she cried! "It's something you love and you're good at." Although she would have loved for me to keep singing and acting, she knew dance was always embedded in my genes. "The leadership roles you've acquired from being a dancer are incredible and have taught you such valuable lessons no other experience would have taught." My mom loved watching me practice in my room or at the studio and was fascinated with the choreography I would create for the girls on kickline. "The relationships you've formed and the bonds you've created are unforgettable and have shaped who you are as a person. It is with this that I would not change the face that you grew up as a dancer." She was extremely happy that I stuck with dance and found an activity I was passionate about.
We then discussed dance at Emory. She was disappointed that I am not enrolled in any dance classes or apart of the Emory Dance Company. She understands that it's a huge commitment and that freshman year is hard enough. However, within the next years, she hopes I start participating and regain my passion and love for dance.