Dance greatly involves time, work, and effort which gives Providence Academy dance students a difficult yet fulfilling experience along with the responsibilities acquired in high school.
Charlotte Lyons ‘16, Isabella Halek ‘17 and Olivia Mannella ‘17 dance at Summit Dance Shoppe in Plymouth. Dancing for such a prestigious dance studio, these girls often practice up to 20 dances with as many as 15 competitions a year.
Mannella dances 20-25 hours a week. On top of that, she participates in chamber choir, theater and cross training. She comments that difficulty often occurs in keeping up with all of these activities along with social events, but she manages. One may wonder why she takes so much time to keep up with such a strenuous sport.
“Dance is everything for me,” explained Mannella. “It’s both my passion and my purpose and although it challenges me in all aspects of my life, it is something very personal and important to me.”
She plans to major in dance and get a BFA for dance in college.
Lyons has less of a hectic schedule, but senior year requires an excessive amount of time put into college applications and searching, senior speech and keeping up with grades on the final stretch of high school. Dancing nine hours a week means a lot to her. Like most dancers, Lyons often has issues maintaining a solid sleep schedule with the amount of homework she receives and how late dance runs.
When asked if she will continue dancing in college, she replied, “it has been a part of my life for so long that I don’t think I could just give it up.”
Halek currently works towards her goals in dance by practicing 28-30 hours a week. On top of that, she serves as a member of the National Honors Society, and she held the position of the boys hockey manager this past season.
When asked how she balances everything she replied, “Truthfully, there is no perfect balance, and I’m sad to say that sleep gets the short end of the stick.”
Despite the incredible work load, Halek manages her responsibilities that dance requires because she truly loves the sport. She plans to major in dance and possibly join a modern dance company or work in commercial dance.
Dance equals time, strength and will, similar to any other sport. True talent is witnessed with students who manage dance with school, social events, and sleep. Dance teaches the practice of balance both physically and mentally, creating skills one can truly hold onto forever. Mannella, Lyons, and Halek execute this balance well.