Journal 12: My Number One Supporter

This week I got to interview my mom and look at my dance journey through my younger years. However she did not want a formal interview of having herself video taped. I respected her decision yet still thought asking her these questions and recording the answers would be valuable to my passion project and seeing my development in the younger years. Below are her answers to these questions:

1) What inspired you to want me to dance?

Answer: "When I was younger I also had a dream of being a ballerina and dancing. But my parents wouldn't let me dance and that's something I always regret not pushing for more so once I had a daughter I knew I had to put her into dance."

2) What made you enroll me into Laurie Ewart’s Danceworks Studio?

Answer: "Some of my friends had daughters a year older and had already had their children in Laurie's studio for about a year. They all loved the studio atmosphere and how she treated the kids. I did some research and it had great reviews so that when I registered you."

3) Were there any obstacles getting me to want to go to dance when I was younger?

Answer: "No, there wasn't any obstacles getting you to dance. Every week when I told you to get ready for practice you were very eager to go. At the beginning you were a little shy but as soon as you made friends with the girls there was no struggle to get you to dance every week.

4) What is your most memorable moment(s) watching me practice? What would your most memorable moment be watching me perform on stage?

Answer: "I don't have a specific moment but I just loved watching you when you just started dance. You were at least a year younger than the other kids and I was always amazed at how well you kept up with your determination to do what they could do. Watching you on stage was inspiring as much in your younger years as it is now because as soon as you get on stage you light up."

5) If you could describe me as a dancer in 3 words what would they be?

Answer: "My three words would be: dedicated, by the way you always tried to be the best dancer you could be in any genre, inspiring, to see you overcome the challenge of being the youngest in your classes, and dazzling because of your stage presence when you perform."

6) What challenges did I have as a dancer? Answer: "The major challenge you had was being the youngest dancer in the older class. Most of the kids were at least one or two years older than you which was a big difference when you were all little. At 2 years old the 'big kids' could intimidate you sometimes but I think you just used that as motivation to become better and keep trying your steps across the floor. As you got older this age gap wasn't as significant."

7) If you had to choose one of the most memorable dances you watched that I was in, which dance would it be? Answer: "Wow, well I've watched a lot of dances in your dance career! But if I were to choose one when you were younger it would be ABC Boogie. It was your first year in competition and every dancer was so scared before going on stage because they did know what it was like. But when I looked at you on stage all your fear went away and you performed it with the biggest smile I've ever seen! If I had to choose the most memorable dance when you were older it would have been the dance you choreographed for Albert because it amazed me how you could show his battle and integrity through your dancing to honor his passing."

8) How did I evolve as a dancer as the studio evolved? Answer: "As the studio got bigger, Laurie wanted to expand the development of her students to keep up the the evolving dance world. She did this by adding more classes and making ballet required for each student. You evolved with the studio changing by taking all of these ballet classes and technique classes to become a better dancer like the rest of the student at your studio.

9) What were my biggest strengths and weakness' as a dancer?

Answer: "Your biggest strengths as a dancer was your confidence, stage presence and ability to tell a story through dance. A weakness was always striving to master your technique to match the older kids in your classes."

10) What is your favourite part of being a dance mom? Answer: "Honestly, my favourite part of being a dance mom was just getting to be there at every practice, competition and recital. I loved being able to see your face on stage and your passion for dance. That made me the happiest being a dance mom just to see you happy. I loved being you number one supporter in the crowd."

---

After gaining the answers to my interview questions, I decided to reflect on each answer and analyze how it influences the dancer I am, relating to my passion project. Question 1:

Having my mom enroll me in dance because of her regrets of not taking it as a child pushed me more to try and make her proud on stage. It influenced me hearing this as a dancer as I got older because I knew it was my moms dream that now became mine and I wanted her to feel apart of the dance world like she always wanted to be. Since she started me in dance she began my passion and without her I might not have found what I love to do today. Question 2:

Being apart of Laurie Ewart's studio by my mom's friend telling her to register me there has impacted me in many ways. First, being in this studio was a loving atmosphere that made me want to go to dance every week. The teachers constantly pushed me to reach my full potential but also allowed me to enjoy this hobby which contributed to why it has became my passion today. Also the children of my mom's friend's and I became very close because we danced together each day and would spend time together outside of the studio when our moms would be together. This impacted the people around me growing up and the friendships I made as a child. These girls made me realize specific values in life like co-operation, communication and respect both in and out of the dance world. Question 3: Having no struggles to get me to go to dance when I was younger parallels the dancer I am today. Every time there is dance practice it isn't a burden for me because I want be there. I think this is because I truly love to dance and it is my passion that started during my younger years but grew as my dance career did. I think this point is very significant to demonstrate the overall objective of my passion project by how my admiration for dance has remained constant throughout the years. Question 4:

I think that my not being able to point out a specific moment that was memorable, besides every moment displays the characteristic of consistency. Reflecting on this I can explore why I always tried my best in both practices and shows to have fun while dancing and enjoy the hobby. This will help my project to see how my efforts in practices correlate with my overall performances on stage. My prediction is that it will greatly relate because of my passion for dance and love to do it whether its practice or a showcase. Question 5: These 3 words my mother described me in show a lot about who I am. This is important during my project to examine these characteristics and apply them to the obstacles I faced like how my determination improved me to get better as a dancer and made me want to overcome obstacles like being the youngest in my class. Exploring the impacts of the characteristics I have as an individual will clearly show my love for dance and my journey for my project. Question 6: Here this challenge was one of the biggest in my dance career from the beginning. It shaped the entirety of who I am today since it motivated me to be challenged and match the other dancers. I feel like without this obstacle I may not have been as motivated to improve myself because I would of been at the same level as everyone else. Yet this disadvantage made me want to be better always. Question 7:

Hearing about how proud and happy I was on stage during my first dance competition made me reflect on the feeling I get on stage. I connected this moment to all the other past times on stage and they all bring the same smile to my face. This relates to how much I love to dance and want to perform to an audience. I can use this example in my passion project to show how I felt the same way about dance when I was younger to how I feel about it now.

Question 8:

The dance world is constantly evolving and so are the studios to keep up with the competition. Here it shows how with the growth of the studio, each dancer grew individually as well. I think this will relate to my project when I examine how the studio impacted my technique and where I came from before the Myer Dance Team. These fundamentals were first learned in the studio which was a huge part on me beginning to dance. Question 9:

Reflecting on my biggest strengths being my stage presence relates to my passion project in many ways. When I am on the stage I express all my emotions and give it my all every time. The reason I do this is because I love to dance which is the main objective of my project. Having my mother see this as my strength as well shows my love for dance and how I express it to everyone on stage. Secondly, my weakness in dance has always been trying to complete the technical elements perfectly. I think this is because to succeed with this it is not mainly focused on your passion for dance but the amount of hours you practice to perfect these moves. This is a representation of who I am that I can focus on studying during my project.

Question 10:

Hearing my mom's love to watch me dance makes me proud in all I have accomplished and the dancer I have become today. I hope to continue to make her proud while doing what I love.