Ballet

Samantha has been doing ballet since age two. As she got older it was made clear that ballet was designed for a very specific body type. At first several teachers claimed that if her body didn’t change should would never be able to do ballet and be taken seriously. This claim, along with years of comments on her weight, diet, size and general appearance made ballet a difficult art to pursue. Fortunately, Sam was not only determined to prove them wrong, but she loved the art of ballet. The concept of a fluid-like movement created by strengthening the most intricate muscles and tendons was of deep fascination. In middle school, Sam spent hours studying the history of ballet and researching several traditional and modern ballets performed worldwide. Inspired by ballerinas such as Evelyn Cisneros and Misty Copeland. Sam decided to seek private tutoring from the professional dancers at The Washington Ballet® to better her skills beyond studio training. Their hard work paid off and Sam’s strength grew, working toward any young ballet dancer’s goal of putting on a pair of pointe shoes, which she finally did at age fourteen. During the beginnings of pointe training Sam noticed a significant pain in their left ankle which all of the physical therapy in the world couldn’t seem to alleviate. Eventually they found out that they had an extra bone in their ankle which would need to be removed surgically. After much thought, Sam chose to proceed with the surgery. Unfortunately she would fully not recover until years later, forcing her pointe journey to come to an early conclusion. After the Covid-19 pandemic, a new ballet teacher, Miss Eileen Baylor, changed Sam’s ballet journey for the better. For the first time Sam was allowed and encouraged to train with health and recovery in mind. Miss Eileen’s encouragement fostered a new sense of love for the art. After high school, Sam chose to pause her ballet training and take time to come to terms with the permanent scars ballet left and pave the way for a new ballet journey moving forward.

Tap

Sam began learning tap when they were three years old, but it wasn’t until they were eleven that they met Mr. Mark Orsborn, a renowned tap dancer and choreographer who would change the course of Sam’s dance journey forever. Mr. Mark taught tap dance from a more musical and rhythmic standpoint. As an aspiring musician, this really resonated with Sam, so they decided to audition for Mr. Mark’s pre-professional tap company, The JaM Youth Project® (JYP). Becoming a part of the “JaMily” was a major turning point in Sam’s dance career. Not only providing her with intense training, but teaching her a better way to study her craft. The faculty of JYP taught her the importance of studying a dance’s history and roots, and understanding where it comes from, where it is now, and where it is going. As she learned of tap dance’s beginnings during the late stages of the Civil War, and before emancipation, it became clear that much of tap’s history belonged to Irish immigrants and freed slaves. With this in mind, Sam began to study and train a bit differently. After she graduated high school she took African dance and drumming classes to continue her tap training.

Jazz

Sam’s Jazz training began at age five at DCDC, but it is worth noting that there are several definitions of “jazz” within the dance industry. First off there is “vernacular jazz”, fostered by choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Katherine Dunham, and Jack Cole, and typically accompanying traditional jazz music and rhythm. There is then “musical theatre jazz” which is used to describe the dances performed in musicals, generally referring to those during the golden age of theatre. And then there is “commercial jazz”. Commercial jazz is typically the kind of dance you’d see at the concerts of various pop artists on tour and in music videos, as well as the kind of dancers in films and television shows. Sam has had proficient training in all three and has recently begun to explore more mature styles such as burlesque, heels, and pole.

Hip hop

Hip hop is one of Sam’s favorite styles. One of the reasons being it is the most mainstream and therefore the most social. It is one of the easiest ways to connect with people, especially at parties and clubs. There are so many different styles of hip hop and its diversity is what makes it rich and encapsulating. Sam studied hip hop at DCDC and received various convention scholarships in hip hop classes at both Tremaine Dance Conventions® and DanceMakersInc®. She also attended the “Summer of Hip Hop” intensive with the Joffrey Ballet School in 2017.

Contemporary/Modern

While Sam has practiced and taken classes for “contemporary” dance ,as it is known in the competition world, for many years, it wasn’t until recently she took a formal “modern dance” class at LIU Post. It was there where she gained an understanding of the roots of modern dance and how it broke off from traditional ballet. While she does not currently train in contemporary or modern dance, Sam is more than proficient in both styles.

Ballroom

In her final two years at DCDC, Sam began taking ballroom classes at the beginner level. She learned the basics of Salsa, Fox Trot, Samba, Merengue, Swing, Waltz and Bachata. While not yet proficient in any one ballroom form, Sam continues to take ballroom classes to better her understanding and abilities as a whole.

African

In their freshman year at LIU Post, Sam took their first African dance class. She was absolutely mesmerized and enchanted by it. Not only was the drummer to dancer relationship exceedingly fascinating, but African dance is the root of all their favorite styles including tap, jazz and hip hop. In many ways, studying African dance felt like a full circle moment. Sam went on to study African dance’s history and learn not only the various traditional dances but the traditional rhythms that accompanied them. West African drumming is another passionate specialty of Sam’s that they are continuing to further their education on.