How did you become interested in dance?
I've been dancing my whole life! It's just in me. It's what runs through my veins, and it's the air I breathe. Growing up, it had formal manifestations, like a few years of studio dance as a child, a few years on a church praise team, and dancing as a cheerleader. It also had many informal manifestations, like dancing and choreographing with my friends, learning on my own on YouTube, and entering talent shows.
What kind of career do you hope to have?
I currently work as a dance educator and performer, and that's what I will continue to do once I leave UNC Charlotte. I think COVID-19 is inviting all of us to reimagine what our lives currently look like and will look like in the future, so a lot of my time lately has gone to imagining and preparing for the different manifestations of my career post-graduation.
What is your favorite thing about the Department of Dance?
I love who I get to learn from! All of the Department of Dance professors are extremely personable, passionate, knowledgeable, and caring. It is a pleasure, and a privilege, to learn from and work with them.
Do you participate in any community activities or work in the Charlotte arts community?
I am a belly dance teacher, choreographer, and performer. I am also a founding member of Sultana Dance NC: Professional Belly Dance Artists of North Carolina, as well as a dancer and performer with NC Brazilian Arts Project.
When you are not in class, studying, working, or rehearsing, what do you like to do for fun?
I love geeking out on the internet, reading articles, threads, and posts about all sorts of things. A lot of my interests though are in the realms of social and political commentary and analysis, religion and spirituality, psychology, holistic health, and topics in dance (particularly belly dance), as it relates to tradition, evolution, transmission, appropriation, etc.