Why I Dance – Isla Meehan-Smith

Many people, when they consider this question , say that they dance as a form of expression. They say that coming into the studio they can leave behind the stresses of life and just forget for a little while.

I tend to disagree with this. Although I do agree that I dance as a form of expression, I wouldn’t say that when I am in the studio I leave behind the outside world. Rather than forget about life problems, I use them. I dance not to forget but to channel.

The pretenders studio provides me with a safe space where I can express my emotions free of judgement. I come into dance and no matter the day I had, whether it be the best or the worst, I am encouraged by all of my teachers to use express it through movement.

When I was younger and still learning a lot of the basics of dance I was not known for my performance quality. I often had little to no expressions on my face simply because I was so focused on the steps and how I was doing them. As I’ve gotten older and my muscle memory has improved, it has become easier for me to focus on other aspects of my dance, like my facial expressions. I have really learned how to use both what I am feeling in myself as well as how the music makes me feel and demonstrate it while I’m dancing. This progression would not have been possible without the constant encouragement from my teachers to push myself just a little bit more.

Push myself to show the emotions I’m feeling while I am dancing and because of it I believe I am much improved compared to my younger self who had a hard time expressing the things she felt while dancing.