I have been dancing so much this semester, it is absolutely ridiculous how beat up I am physically…but really, what more can I ask for? I’m learning so much new choreography and technique which is really helping me expand my overall movement as a dancer and exploring how to maneuver my body in many different ways.

Fortunately, as a dancer I have a very special gift, and that is to pick up choreography very quickly. I am an extreme visual learner. When I was young I had to learn to pick up routines very, very fast, and since then have become pretty good at it.

But it is another thing to be able to create and choreograph a dance of your own means. Instead of listening and executing what someone else wants you to do as a dancer, as the choreographer you are sharing your own thoughts and shaping them through the movements of others.

For me personally, music comes before anything. Music lifts me into a completely different state and can change my mood, feelings, reactions, and movements in an instant…basically, my mind is the one that is dancing. From the song, choreographing comes naturally through what you are feeling in that moment. I believe there really isn’t much structure to making up a routine. Yes, there are moves that you may want to show off, or accents you really want to hit, but for me I feel that choreographing should ultimately be where you are most creative, experimental, and vulnerable.