November “Spotlight”
November is here and the studio is full of wonderful dancers working hard everyday in preparation for our two winter performances, The Nutcracker (December 9th & 10th) and Winter Celebration (December 17th). November 10th & 11th the studio will be closed for regular classes for the Veterans Day holiday. We will be open for Nutcracker rehearsals that weekend. November 24th-25th we are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, with no Nutcracker rehearsals this weekend. Here is a link to a glimpse of our beautiful snowflakes.
Sarah Quinn danced with us from the age of three until she graduated from high school. She still returns when she is home from college and takes our adult classes. Now a senior in college, Sarah is majoring in biology and minoring in dance with the hope of being a veterinarian when her schooling is complete. She is studying dance in college, and even able to teach dance classes on campus with her local dance club. We are so proud of Sarah and excited to see where her journey takes her. Below is her questionnaire.
Please introduce yourself. Tell us your name, age, where you live, and what you do professionally.
My name is Sarah Quinn. I am 21 years old. I am still living with my family in Anacortes, but I live in Spokane during the school year. I am studying Biology at Whitworth University in Spokane and when I graduate I plan to go to veterinary school.
Is dance still a part of your life? Are you still dancing? Tell us about it!
Yes! Dance is still part of my life. I am a teacher and the chaplain in a dance ministry club on my campus called Jubilation. I am also working towards a dance minor and taking dance classes at Whitworth.
Tell us about your dance background. When did you start dancing? What styles of dance have you studied? What’s your favorite style and why?
I started dancing at Fidalgo DanceWorks when I was three. I started with tap and ballet, then added jazz, modern, lyrical, African, swing, and Character. Ballet is my favorite. It is so beautiful and is absolutely fundamental to all other types of dance. Understanding ballet technique improves technique in other styles of dance and will make you stronger as a dancer and as a person.
When did you start dancing at Fidalgo DanceWorks? Tell us a couple of your favorite memories of your time with us.
I started dancing at Fidalgo when I was three years old. I have so many favorite memories. One would be when I found out that I was the Sugar Plum Fairy. I never thought that I would be good enough to be Sugar Plum, so I was really shocked and excited. My other favorite memory would have to be choreographing the “Sloth Ballet.” The class consisted of me, Nicole Houppermans, Emilie Shjarback, and Cali Swain and was taught by Ms. Christina. For an end of the year mini party with the class below us, we choreographed a Sloth Ballet which involved moving very slowly and hanging on the bars like a sloth (don’t hang on the bars unless your teacher gives you permission). It was really fun to come up with and to spend a little bit of time in class just messing around and laughing.
Why was dance important to you growing up? Why is it important as an adult?
Dance was important to me growing up because it taught me how to work hard and how to persevere in the face of hardship. These are lessons that I have carried over into my personal life and that have made me the person I am today. As an adult, dancing is important to me because it helps my mental and physical health, and it helped me meet people and make new friends in a new place. Exercise is obviously important to our health, and it can be difficult to keep up with when you start college. Dancing during college has kept me in good physical health and has been a space where I can relax and take a break from stress. It also helped me when settling into college. I was able to find people who had similar interests and was a comfort for me when I was missing home.
What advice do you have for our current students?
I have two pieces of advice for current students. Keep dancing and don’t be too hard on yourself. Dance is an amazing but challenging art, and it is easy to get discouraged. Don’t give up! The work you are putting in now will pay off even if you can’t see it yet. Give yourself some grace when you mess up and don’t forget to have fun while doing it!
What should our community know about FDW?
Fidalgo DanceWorks is really special. It is not just a place where I learned to dance, it’s where I met some of my closest friends and it is like a second home to me. The teachers genuinely care about the students and want them to succeed. I come back and visit every change I can because of how important it has been in making the person I am today.
Dance Q & A
Who was your most influential teacher and why?
Ms. Jeanne. You can tell how much she cares about her students and how much she wants them to succeed. She made me a better dancer and person by pushing me to work harder and I’m very thankful for that.
What was your favorite dance role or production? Why?
One of my favorite roles was the year we did The Wizard of Oz. My ballet class, taught by Ms. Christina, was a river and I loved everything about that dance: the costume, the choreography, and the music were all amazing.
If you couldn’t be a dancer, what would you be?
I would be an equestrian. I love horses and I think it would be so cool to have grown up riding.
What’s the worst thing about being a dancer? What’s the best thing?
I think the worst thing about being a dancer is knowing that you can’t do it forever. Over time our bodies just stop working and it is really sad to think about not being able to dance anymore. The best thing about dancing is the people. It’s kind of cheesy but most dancers I have met have been amazing people. They have something that they are passionate about and that they work hard for. Not everyone is like that and it is really admirable.
Encore
What’s your favorite food / drink?
My mom makes an amazing fettucine alfredo with salmon; I could eat it everyday for dinner it is so good.
What’s your favorite song?
Africa by Toto
What’s your party trick?
I am really good at spinning on the floor.
Dance movies – love or hate?
I like dance movies! I adore musicals, especially if they have Gene Kelly or Fred
Astaire. I love the Barbie Nutcracker. It’s terrible: the dialogue, the dancing, it is not good. But it is so fun to watch with friends.
We have our Big/Little sister lunch Saturday November 19th, where our big sisters will share lunch and give a small gift to their little sisters! This is a wonderful tradition encouraging friendships for all ages among our dance family. Our first in-house dress rehearsal will be on the 19th as well.
Congratulations to Emily Hackstadt, Anacortes High School Student of the Month for Social Studies in Leadership. Emily is a senior at the Anacortes High School. Great job, Emily!!
Congratulations to Anna Ricketts, Anacortes High School sophomore. Anna made the All-Northwest band for clarinet.
If you know a FDW dancer whose accomplishments need a shout out, please let us know! We’d love to feature them in a future installment of “Spotlight.” Send details to studio@fidalgodanceworks.org
