Connor Lewis/The Omniscient
The curtain raises and all you see is hundreds of eyes staring in the darkness at you. The music begins to play, and momentarily you forget how to begin the dance that you have been practicing for the semester. However, as the dance continues and you follow your classmates, you get a rush of adrenaline and the fear disappears.
For many seniors, the upcoming Winter Dance Concert is the last time they will be in a dance performance.
Senior Shannon Patterson began dancing when she was a freshman in high school. She says the dance program inspired her to take classes outside of school and she hopes to continue dancing at Appalachian State University.
“How I feel about dance is something that I do not want to give up,” Patterson said. “Going and furthering my knowledge of dance is the right path for me even if I am not one of the best dancers at Northwood. I know that pursuing it as a career is something personal that I want to keep in my life, and I want to keep going with that.”
Senior Allison Grant started dancing at Northwood her freshman year of high school.
“I’m really sad, because I really enjoy dance and I really wish that I could have it second semester with a lot of my friends,” Grant said. “I know that there won’t be anything like dance at Northwood that I will be able to be a part of. I don’t do dance outside of school and I know that I won’t do dance in college because I won’t have time. Northwood dance is the only time that I will able to do dance, and it is very sad that I probably won’t do anything like this again.”
Senior Ali Knowles joined the dance program as a sophomore. She is grateful for how she has changed while taking dance.
“It has really shown me a different side of myself that I didn’t know that I had,” Knowles said. “I had always wanted to start dancing and never did. The dance program [at Northwood] has allowed me to show that side of myself.”
Along with dancing, Grant plays both varsity basketball and softball.
“Performing is not like anything else,” Grant said. “I play sports and it [dance] is completely different from playing a game. You get to show people what you have been working on and you get to dress up all pretty. There is never any other time that I get to do something like this so it is really fun.”
Patterson explains what she enjoys most about dancing.
“It is a way to express what I feel and what I am thinking in a healthy way, when you can’t put words to it,” Patteson said. “It is that way to take everything, whether it is a bad day or a good day, and put that into motion, and it feels natural.”
Grant will miss the friendships that she has made during dance class over the past four years.
“I will miss the relationships that you make with your dance classes; you don’t get as close with other students in your math classes or English classes,” Grant said. “In your dance class you have to work with them and help each other. I’m going to miss being close with all those people.”
– By Sarah Helen Shepherd
