I have been a dancer at Westport’s Academy of Dance since I was three years old. Since then, my life has revolved around dance, and it is a passion of mine that has shaped who I have become. My love for dancing only grows each year as the talented teachers at the Academy expose me to different types of dancing and choreography. I participate in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Modern and love each style just as much as the next. Apart from just being incredibly fun, dancing has always been the medium through which I can escape into a world without any stress or external pressures, and release my emotions through the movements and music.
Apart from dancing, I am also an avid sailor and pianist. Piano and sailing serve the same purpose as dance does for me – they allow me to enjoy and express myself in yet another way. I have also immersed myself in the world of philanthropy. I am very involved with Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which gives children with terminal illnesses the opportunity to have the classic summer camp experience they would normally not be able to have given their conditions. I initiated a fundraiser at my school (Hopkins School) to benefit the Camp, and have since raised over $130,000 for the organization.
Next year, I will begin my studies at Yale University. I will be sailing with Yale’s team, but I will be sure to make the time to dance. To me, dance is an incredible art and sport, and although it has presented me with injuries that I am still struggling to overcome, I will never be able to let go of it. As I grow older, and am faced with challenges, I am reassured that I will be able to find solace in my dancing. Regardless of whether it is in a school club or a more serious performance, I will never turn my back on dance or the rush I feel each time I take the stage. I am so lucky to have dance in my life, and it is a passion of mine that will always remain an innate part of who I am.
As my senior year schedule begins to pick up speed, my second year in Senior Company along with it, I am starting to realize what a wonderful experience I have had in dance in the Academy in the past few years. This is my 5th year with the academy and I feel that it has pushed me to a whole new level of dance. Dance has become Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been a student at the Academy since age 2. In my first recital, I was a “hopping bunny”, cried during the performance, and had to be taken off the stage. I told my mom I didn’t want to do ballet anymore, but she persuaded me to give it another try. To my surprise, the following year, not only did I make it through the recital without any tears, but I also participated in my first Nutcracker, and fell in love with dancing.
Now, a junior at Staples High School, and my second year as a senior company dancer, I can still say that I have that same love for dance, and it still brings me just as much excitement. My fellow dancers and I have become very close, and we’ve also developed good relationships with our teachers. The bonds I’ve made at the Academy I know not only helped me with my dancing, but will also continue to help me going forward.
When I’m not dancing, I love to travel and participate in community service organizations. In fact, in a few days I’ll be leaving for Ecuador to dig water lines for a village with no running water or electricity. I’m so excited! In addition to this, I love music, spending time with my friends and family, and going shopping.
With most of my schedule filled with school, tutors, ACT’s, and college visits, I love being able to come to dance to escape for a little while. I look forward to focusing my attention on something other than school, and spending time with people I know will make me smile. The Academy has become a second home, and I look forward to progressing through my last years as a student.
Share Staples High School Sophomore and Academy student Jill Rappaport’s experiences as a dancer in the Academy’s Nutcracker productions. Read this inklings article for a first hand account of how magical her experience was and is. Thanks Jill, for sharing your thoughts and your dancing with us for so many years and for sharing them with all of us!
Dance has been a part of my life since I bounced to my first Nutcracker performance at two years old and put my older sisters through incessant viewings of Disney’s Fantasia. I have only been a student at the Academy since the eighth grade, and this is my first year as a senior company dancer, but the teachers, classes, and performance opportunities I’ve come to experience here have helped me grow both as a dancer and an individual.
Outside of dance I am very active in my church’s youth group and other community service organizations, such as Norwalk High’s National Honor Society. As well as ranking fourth in my class, I participate in my school’s spring musicals, have been recognized in several city-wide art shows, and have been taking vocal lessons since the sixth grade.
Although college applications currently consume most of my life, in my free time I write (poetry and music) and hang out with my friends- there is no stress that can’t be fixed by a good snack and a good laugh! I’m looking forward to finishing out my senior year- both in school and at the Academy- before I head to an out-of-state university next fall, but will never forget that our past is always part of who we will become.
Dance is my passion and is something that I look forward to every single day. Ever since I was three years old I have been dancing at Westport’s Academy of Dance – a place that has become my second home. Throughout my 13 years here, I have learned so much and have made the best of friends.
The Academy has given me so many opportunities to excel as a dancer including many incredible parts in our production of The Nutcracker and a variety of recitals every year. Also, I was lucky enough to be chosen as a student choreographer in last years’ Winter Workshop. It was truly an unbelievable experience and is something that could only have been possible at the Academy.
Other than dance, I love hanging out with my friends, writing poetry, and skiing with my family. Because dance takes up such a big portion of my life, I don’t have much time to do other sports or school activities. Even when we have the occasional time off from dance I have to spend time doing schoolwork and writing college essays.
Although it’s my senior year and I have a lot to stress over, I am so happy to be graduating with some of my closest friends. I am so excited for us all to work on our senior dance together. It will be so exciting to graduate and go to college, but I will always remember my amazing times at the Academy. It will forever remain as one of my favorite places to be.
julie lunde, senior company dancer, organized a wonderful dance program at the academy this summer in conjunction with SEPTA (special education pta). she loves dance so much, as do the other students teaching with her this summer, that she is sharing it with children who might not have another opportunity to take dance classes.
the classes are open to special needs boys and girls and our senior company teachers hope that the power of dance and music will help these new dancers feel like the stars they are! the majority of the dancers are between the ages of 6-8 but we do have two 15 year old girls who will take some classes and work on more advanced steps while helping out the younger dancers as well.
the academy is very proud of our dancers for putting together this very special program. thank you julie lunde, allison o’toole, elena adams, lacey waterhouse, grace osgood and julia edelman for your time, expertise and willingness to give back to our community.
This is a no-cost program and classes will run once a week until august 10th. pictured below are julie lunde and allison o’toole getting ready for their first class setting up chairs so that parents can watch class and be part of the magic.
With recital and finals right around the corner, my schedule could never be busier. I am a junior at Staples High School and have been dancing at the academy since 6th grade. I started dancing a little later than most, but it hasn’t stopped dance from becoming my passion.
Over the years, I have grown as a dancer and as a person due to the incredible training and opportunities provided by the teachers at the academy. I have had unbelievable experiences through performances at recital, and especially the Nutcracker, and was thrilled with the Winter Showcase that took place in March. It is the academy where my best friends, if not sisters, are and a place that I am proud to call my second home. I love everything about dance, from the hours of training in the studio to the minutes on stage where my jaw hurts from smiling too hard.
Aside from dance, I love having fun and being with my friends, family, and boyfriend. My friends, especially from the academy, are a huge part of my life and the relationships we have created will last forever. As college approaches, my schedule will continue to fill and my life will be loaded with stress. It is definitely a challenge to balance my schedule with schoolwork and countless hours at dance, but everything is worth it because dance makes everything more enjoyable.
I will definitely continue to dance in the future and I hope to minor in dance in college, or at least dance on the side. After college, I would love to study education and one day become a teacher. Who knows, maybe even a dance teacher!
Congratulations to Julia Edelman, student choreographer for our first annual Winter Showcase. Click above to view an excerpt from an interview with Julia.
As my schedule fills with different workshop rehearsals, I know that performance day is finally approaching! For the ten years I’ve been dancing at the Academy, the anticipation of a performance has always been the most stressful (but exciting) part of my experience. I remember the very first time I ever performed on stage, as a little blue soldier in the Nutcracker- I was so nervous, I actually threw up backstage and ruined what I had been dreaming about for months- performing on the stage, under the bright lights, the audience applauding. Now, even though I still get butterflies, I know not to let my nervousness get in the way of my dancing. Instead, I focus on enjoying the feeling of being onstage and just doing my best! In doing so, I’ve gained so many great memories with all my wonderful friends at the studio. I never want to stop dancing- it’s the best feeling in the world! I’m a junior at Staples High School right now, but I know that even when I go to college, I’ll keep dancing as a part of my life.
As my schedule fills with different workshop rehearsals, I know that performance day is finally approaching! For the ten years I’ve been dancing at the Academy, the anticipation of a performance has always been the most stressful (but exciting) part of my experience. I remember the very first time I ever performed on stage, as a little blue soldier in the Nutcracker- I was so nervous, I actually threw up backstage and ruined what I had been dreaming about for months- performing on the stage, under the bright lights, the audience applauding. Now, even though I still get butterflies, I know not to let my nervousness get in the way of my dancing. Instead, I focus on enjoying the feeling of being onstage and just doing my best! In doing so, I’ve gained so many great memories with all my wonderful friends at the studio. I never want to stop dancing- it’s the best feeling in the world! I’m a junior at Staples High School right now, but I know that even when I go to college, I’ll keep dancing as a part of my life.
