Summer of Fun! 🥳

Hey family!!! I’m so sorry it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’ve been so busy. This past summer my days were literally: eat, sleep, dance, repeat for the past 8 weeks. I have practically had no time for much of anything else.

So for this blog post, I am going to tell you the details of my dance INTENSIVE summer, that many of you helped finance. Which I am soooo grateful for. Thank you for your assistance!!!!!

Here’s a recap of my summer!!💜

This summer I was blessed to attend 3 different summer intensives. The first summer intensive I attended was in Pennsylvania at Central PA Youth Ballet. This was a 5 week ballet training program. I truly enjoyed my time there. I met and had the honor of learning from some outstanding teachers. Some are current Prima Ballerinas and some that are former major ballerinas. The schedule at CPYB was intense!!!! I had 3 ballet technique classes a day. Which is a lot. But I grew so much because I was really able to focus on the muscles I need to execute my dance steps. I feel like because of this I have a much greater understanding of my body.

Many of you know my teacher and mentor Mrs Andrea Long-Naidu. She is an OUTSTANDING dancer and teacher. She danced for New York City Ballet, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, and this summer was a teacher at the CPYB intensive. I was able to see and work with her. Seeing her was such a treat, especially since I had not seen her in person in a while.

Like most intensives, dorm housing is provided but not required. Instead of living in the dorms I was blessed with an amazing host family that I truly felt at home with! I ended up becoming friends with my host parents daughter who trains at CPYB year round which is cool!! While I lived with them we went to the pool, went shopping, we went to Hershey Park, and even went to see The Wiz on Broadway. 💞💞

I am pleased to report that over the course of the five weeks at CPYB I was received VERY well. I also fell in love with the school’s philosophy and training style. I was happy the teachers were very very impressed with me. So much so, that I auditioned for the year round training and was offered to not only attend the school but I received their Changing Lives scholarship for the school year. Which is a 50% scholarship. Woohoo!!!!!!! In addition, one of my favorite guest teachers Mr. Tim Fox from The Dallas Ballet Conservatory auditioned me and the school contacted my family and also offer me to train year round in Dallas with a 50% scholarship!!!!!! So many choices.

After CPYB I had a week off to rest at home and then I started a one week company Reperotory week intensive at The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB ) in Washington DC. The beauty of this intensive is that I got to live at home with my family during it because it was very close to my house. ☺️ The Washington Ballet is the national capital premier ballet company, and they hosted an intensive for dancers 14-22. This intensive replicated what it’s like to be in an actual company.

The week was intense but much needed. Honestly it was great because at CPYB we solely focused on our technique and placement but at TWSB I was able to express myself and dance a little more because the focus of that intensive was to give us a look into company life. So it was nice going to another intensive after CPYB because I was able to fully apply what I learned from the previous weeks in PA.

Ok, so during the intensive we had to learn 4 choreographic works. One was Ballet, another was Neo-classical –which is not as technical as ballet– and the other two were contemporary. I was in the second highest level at the intensive, which is amazing considering I’m one of the youngest there (14). Also my group was the first to learn all of the pieces. We ended up finishing two of the pieces on the first day and finishing the other two the second day, which is incredible. I truly loved getting a glimpse into a what it be like to be in a company.

The directors were phenomenal I loved working with each of them. They also were impressed with me and gave me awesome feedback. After the intensive I ended up getting an offer from TWB to become a Junior trainee. A “trainee” means you get to shadow the company and possibly be in performances with the company. This is truly an honor because I wouldn’t be in the school but I would be prepared and possibly considered to join their company once I’m old enough and fully trained. So as a JUNIOR trainee, if I’m correct, is similar but mainly training.

After the Washington Ballet my dad and I drove up to Massachusetts to Walnut Hill School of the Arts where Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet ( MOBBallet) was hosting an intensive for dancers of color. Oh My Gosh! This intensive was so so healing!!! This was the first place all summer that I felt fully comfortable to be me. I was truly just so honored to be surrounded by black dancers and choreographers, artistic directors, mentors and teachers that look like me. 🥹🥹🥹🥹 MOBBallet is an organization that focuses on the history of blacks in ballet. They teach the history of blacks in ballet. They also are HUGE activist for dancers of color. The owner of the organization, Mrs. Theresa Ruth Howard, created a Symposium specifically for dancers of color to create a safe space to connect, and talk about the issues we face as black dancers but also in general in ballet, but also just a healing space for black dancers to be mentored by some ( in my opinion) ICONIC people in the ballet world.

So there are two levels at the intensive there’s an intermediate level and an advanced level. I was placed in the advanced level!!!!!!!! This was an honor because if you’re in the advanced level you get to have a mentor assigned to you for the intensive but you’re also able to connect with them outside of the intensive if you want to.

The way the mentoring system works is, you have your classes with the group and the mentors sit at the front of the room and observe every class and take note. For example, during ballet class we would start out with our barre and then there would be a 15 minute break between barre and center for our mentors to talk to us and give us any notes they had for us at barre. Then the same thing would happen with center.

Each person in the advanced level was assigned one mentor and each mentor a mentee. Some of the mentors included, Lauren Anderson who was the first black principal dancer at the Houston ballet, Edalyn T. Outlaw, the dean of the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Dance program, and Monica Stephenson who is a teacher in the dance program at UNCSA, but those are just a few. I think there were about 10 mentors and they were all people of color in high places in the ballet world, it was INCREDIBLE. My mentor that was assigned to me is Ms. Stephenson from UNCSA. She was such a great mentor and took such amazing notes. What was super cool about working with her is that we have the exact same body structure, an extremely short torso and long legs, so she was able to really help me which was great!

Even though everyone was assigned a mentor other mentors could talk to other dancers not assigned to them, which was great!! All of the mentors really liked me which was such an honor especially because I really look up to them. 🙌🏾🥹🥰

Also since i was in the advanced level I got to work on a choreographic work with iconic choreographers. We were split up into two groups of three and my group got to work with a current dancer from Ballet MET, Lealand Charles. I absolutely loved the girls in my group and we all loved getting to work with Mr. Lealand. He was very collaborative with movement and just so friendly. His choreography was very flowy and freeing which I loved. Im so honored I had the opportunity to work with him.

During the MOBBallet symposium I really loved the sense of community. I was surrounded by HUGE names in the dance world like Donald Byrd, and William Forsythe. I highly encourage you to look them up they are incredible choreographers. I also was surrounded by some of my favorite ballerinas. One of my favorites is, Katlyn Addison, she is currently a principal dancer for a company called Ballet West. She made history as the first Black principal dancer at Ballet West. Can you believe she was at the symposium and I got to hang out with her and talk with her which was so cool!!!!!! 🥹🥰🥹🙌🏾🥰🥳💖 I got to talk to her about dance and she gave some amazing advice that I will forever cherish that moment. She told me that she’s following my journey and shes so happy for me!!!

I also got to talk to some other ballerinas and they told me if I ever need anything please do not hesitate to reach out!!! This intensive is an intensive I will forever remember. I made so many amazing connections, and not just any connections but with artist of color in high ballet places. While I was at the symposium I ended up getting offers to train year round from UNCSA and Houston Ballet. I’m so grateful I ended my summer at such a DEEPLY affirming intensive. I hope to participate in the MOBBallet Symposium again next summer.

I keep getting asked which intensive was my favorite and my answer is I truly liked them all. They each offered something different. Thank you all so much for donating and contributing to helping make my summer and future career dreams come true. I’m truly grateful. 💖💖💖💖 BTW… this blog post was supposed to be my announcement to you all about where I am training this fall…….But as I was writing this I decided to keep you in suspense and just make this blog about my summer ESPECIALLY since you are the whole reason I had the time of my life. BUT don’t worry, I am doing another blog post this week and it will be about my year round ballet training plans!!! You should receive it no later than Friday!!! Soooo stay tuned and I love you all! 😜💖😜💖