My earliest memory of dance was when I was five years old, which was about the time I started taking ballet at the British Dancing Academy (BDA). At the end of class, our teacher Miss Shannon would lead us in an imagination exercise she called “Toy Shop”. She would put on the soundtrack, and we all would pose like dolls on shelves, staying frozen until the “shopkeeper” was gone. She would pretend to turn off the light, close the door, and go down the stairs. Once she was gone, the music would start, and we would dance around the room in any way we liked. When the music stopped, we scrambled back to our original positions, frozen again as if nothing had ever happened. That was the first time I truly experienced the magic of dance.

Each year, I continued to make more memories at the studio. From barre work to polkas and seemingly complicated group routines (complete with ribbons on sticks), I thrived in the creative yet structured environment of the dance studio. Generations of BDA dancers will remember Miss Patti, whose iconic sense of humor always kept us laughing. When I was in middle school, I started taking modern dance in addition to ballet and continued to develop my dance skills and techniques.

I will always remember preparing for the Holiday Showcase my senior year, working on my solo to perform onstage. Traditionally, upper-level dancers are invited to choreograph their own routines for the showcase. Through the process, I learned that I was fine performing someone else’s work onstage, but performing my own was different – it felt more personal. I thought I couldn’t do it, but when I hit my breaking point, Miss Sally coached and encouraged me to keep going. Her confidence in me helped me overcome adversity and step into that vulnerable space of being able to share my personal creation with an audience.

Since 1973, the British Dancing Academy has been offering classes in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap to students of all ages, as well as adults. For generations of dancers, BDA has been much more than just a dance studio. Through years of classes, exams, watch days, and dress rehearsals, the studio becomes a home away from home for dancers and their families.

The BDA teachers, especially those who have been teaching for decades, have impacted the lives of hundreds of students. They have taught generations of young people, including myself, to have confidence, poise, grace, and strength through the art of dance. They showed us how to keep going even when things are not perfect and how to persevere when facing adversity. They taught us how to be brave, to give our best, and to laugh along the way.

My teachers showed me how to challenge my current self to be stronger than my past self and how to overcome challenges over the days and years. In dance, especially in ballet, it can be tempting to become a perfectionist, refusing to accept anything less than the best and setting unrealistic standards. In the grand scheme of life, I learned that progress, not perfection, indicates our process of growth and our discovery of who we are. I learned that my successes are something to celebrate, but it’s how I navigate my failures that truly allows me to grow.

Dance opens this world of discovery to young people, giving them access to aspects of themselves they may have never explored before. Through dance, the student who never raises their hand finds their voice onstage. The child who is lonely finds friendship and community. Young people who feel lost in life find mentors and role models, people they can look up to and rely on. Those who feel like they are on the outside are welcomed inside, to be part of something bigger than themselves. As a dance community, BDA provides young people with a space to grow, express themselves, and engage in life with confidence.

Every June, BDA ends the year with a beautiful dance performance. Every performance showcases ballet, modern, jazz, and tap at all levels, complete with full costumes and a cohesive storyline. For every student, the experience of developing the courage and confidence to perform onstage is transformational. Year after year, I have watched the students grow from baby ballerinas into confident young adults. At each stage, they are guided by the teachers and supported by their peers as they take on new roles and challenges as performers.

Photo Credit: Amanda Kay Photography

While I no longer perform in the shows as a BDA dancer, I still have a role behind the scenes. Each year, I build a team of volunteers to help with backstage costume changes, largely composed of BDA alumni. I work on creating a spreadsheet of every costume change for each cast, collect costume change information from the senior-level dancers, then assign costume changes to the changers. I communicate the details to my team, send them their assignments, and support them through many long hours of dress rehearsals and shows.

I loved every moment of my time onstage as a BDA dancer, but I have found working behind the scenes to be equally satisfying. On our costume changer team, we work hard, have fun, and laugh a lot, but beyond that, I know that everyone on our team takes great pride in helping every dancer look and feel their best onstage. Through this team, it is my privilege to be in a position to create community and steward culture. We have had changers come back to volunteer year after year because of the community – they come back because BDA is their home. By working together, being kind, solving problems as a team, and lifting each other up, we reinforce team culture that reflects the values of BDA.

In the end, the reason why I continue to come back is because BDA is my home. Like so many generations of BDA dancers before me, I have felt the magic of crossing the studio floor or the stage, the power of nailing a difficult combo, or acing a set of turns. The stage is a magical place; on the stage, young people find themselves, stories are told, and lifelong memories are made. By using my skills and gifts, my desire is to keep that magic alive for future generations of BDA dancers.

BDA is more than just a dance studio – it is a community of dancers, families, alumni, alumni parents, and friends of the academy. BDA has given all of us the beautiful gift of dance, confidence, poise, and self-expression. Every year, my cup overflows when I am able to give back to the place that has given me so much, to support the mentors who believed in me, and to invest in the next generation of young people.  

Photo credit: Amanda Kay Photography