Preparing for Your First Year in College Dance
For the first time in 18 years, I am moving away to a new city and dancing with people that I have never met before. I’m hundreds of miles away from my family and friends that have made me into who I am today and my beloved dance community that I have had around me for the last 8 years. While this is going to be a drastic change in my life, I know that I am not alone. I know that there are thousands of other dancers across the country and even the world that are experiencing the same uneasy feeling as me.
Name pronunciation: Nick-ole Bear-et | Pronouns: she/her
By Nicole Barrett, DWC Blog Editor
For the first time in 18 years, I am moving away to a new city and dancing with people that I have never met before. I’m hundreds of miles away from my family and friends that have made me into who I am today and my beloved dance community that I have had around me for the last 8 years. While this is going to be a drastic change in my life, I know that I am not alone. I know that there are thousands of other dancers across the country and even the world that are experiencing the same uneasy feeling as me.
Life is full of changes that we are prepared for and some that we’re not. When it comes to moving away for college, that is one that we can control. As all of us college freshman are trying to adjust to this new change, it is important that we understand and acknowledge why we decided to pursue dance in the first place. Following your passion is the most important step in making a memorable year in college dance. To prepare myself for this change, I have spoken with multiple graduates from dance programs across the country and some other college freshman that are preparing for their first year in college dance, so here are some ways you can prepare.
Don’t compare yourself!
Knowing what you bring to the class is a big step to make sure that you are gaining what you need from that class. All those dancers are worrying about themselves, not you. Comparing yourself to other dancers doesn’t allow you to dance to the full ability that you know you have. They are here to dance for themselves, they aren’t watching to see if you messed up. Just because another dancer can do a cool trick doesn’t mean that you don’t bring amazing things to the table. Each dancer is unique in their own way and it is important in college dance and in the professional realm to know that.
Remember that it’s okay to make mistakes!
When switching to new teachers in college dance, it can be difficult to adjust to the new techniques they use and the pacingof the class itself. Be sure to give yourself some grace to get adjusted to the new teacher and new environment. Just know that everybody in the room is coming from different backgrounds that are going through the same things as you. As dancers we are conditioned to want to be perfect all the time, but we do need to realize it is human to make mistakes.
Be sure to have all the essentials in your bag
You never know what you may need in the class, so making sure you have everything is important. I know that forgetting a water bottle or a recovery tool can make or break a class for me, so making sure that my bag is stocked with everything I need is very imporrnat. This can help relieve a bit of the stress and allow piece of mind during a stressful transition.
Take some classes to get back into moving
Summer can be a long time to go without dance, so making sure that your stamina is up and your mind is ready for a new season of dance is very important. Summers for me are typically when I take a break from dance so I have been trying to find local drop in classes and classes at my old studio that I can take to get back into it before I leave for college. To help ease your mind try to see if you can take classes at your old studio to keep up that common routine before the big transition.
Have fun!
Don’t stress! Everyone that is in the class loves to dance. They know that this is a passion for them that they want to pursue so remember that you are around people that love dance just as much as you do. While change can be scary and bring stress, I know that dance is my outlet to make me feel better no matter what I am feeling. Doing what I love is worth it and doing what you love should be a top priority.
For me, this change is going to be a tough one. I have gotten accustomed to having my same group of people around me when dancing for many years and this transition feels scary. But, it is important to know that this change is going to be an incredibly exciting one. You are going to be one step closer to doing the thing you love for the rest of your life. Making connections that can last a lifetime and enhancing your craft for years to follow. Just know that you got this and to enjoy your first year! Doing the thing you love the most will make it all worth it.
Disclaimer
All content found on the Dancewear Center Website, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and all other relevant social media platforms including: text, images, audio, or other formats were created for informational purposes only. Offerings for continuing education credits are clearly identified and the appropriate target audience is identified. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. Dancewear Center does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on dancewearcenter.net. Reliance on any information provided by dancewearcenter.net, Dancewear Center employees, contracted writers, or medical professionals presenting content for publication to Dancewear Center is solely at your own risk.
Links to educational content not created by Dancewear Center are taken at your own risk. Dancewear Center is not responsible for the claims of external websites and education companies.
Getting to Know DWC Blog Editor Nicole Barrett
Nicole enjoys writing for the DWC Blog because she gets to learn about other peoples’ stories and relationships with dance. She points out that in everyday dance training, it’s rare that dancers discuss how dance has helped shape their lives. Hearing the stories of others has opened Nicole’s eyes to what dance can do for people and the capacity that it has to transform lives. Through conducting and transcribing interviews, she also feels a stronger attachment to the local dance community in Seattle and a greater understanding of its interconnectedness.
A Conversation About Writing and Dancing in the Greater Seattle Area
Name pronunciation: Nick-ole Bear-et | Pronouns: she/her
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor
Since its conception, the DWC Blog has been an outlet for local artists and business owners to share their stories with the dance community of greater Seattle. For those on the DWC Blog team, the blog has also become a site of learning and connection. DWC staff member Nicole Barrett shares what she loves about writing for the DWC Blog, what she hopes to see change in the dance world, as well as her plans for the future. Nicole will soon be the new editor for the DWC Blog, so keep an eye out for her upcoming posts!
Growing up, Nicole trained at several different dance studios across the greater Seattle area. She began taking dance classes at age three at the Renton Community Center. “I fell in love with it,” Nicole shares. She later took classes at Rainier Ballet Academy and participated in the performing company. After the dance school got bought out by another business, Nicole began taking classes from the studio director out of her house multiple times a week to continue dancing. She later took classes at Body Language Studio (formerly Cornerstone Studio) and then took some time off following an injury. Nicole eventually landed at Spotlight Dance Center, where she has danced in the performing company and participates in annual shows.
“Dance is my way of expressing without having to use words,” Nicole says. She enjoys that dance allows her the ability to share her emotions without having to speak, as verbal communication is admittedly not her favorite mode of expression. Nicole feels like dancing has allowed her to be more emotionally intelligent, as she’s able to explore nuanced feelings through movements that are challenging to verbalize.
Something Nicole hopes to see change in the dance world is the unrealistic physical expectations for dancers, as well as the antiquated ideas about gender roles in dance. “Everyone can dance, no matter what their body type is,” Nicole says. “Dance is for every person, it doesn’t have to be just for one specific set of people.” She believes that more dance studios should promote the idea that anyone can dance and have open conversations about tough topics like physical insecurities. She appreciates that Spotlight Dance Center celebrates “Love Your Body Week,” an annual event in which a week is dedicated to promoting self-care and self-love.
Nicole learned about Dancewear Center last summer when her studio director informed her and her fellow dancers that a new dance store was opening in Renton, Washington and that they were looking for staff. Nicole thought she would make an excellent member of the DWC team, as she had experience dancing which would lend itself well as a retail associate at a dancewear store. She and her friend and fellow dancer Mia Behnke applied and both got the jobs! In August 2021, Nicole began working as a retail associate. Months later, Nicole was recruited by DWC Owner and General Manager Samantha Weissbach to work on the DWC marketing team. Since then, Nicole has been devoting most of her work time to training to be the next DWC Blog Editor, as well as helping out with photography efforts.
“Dance is for every person, it doesn’t have to be just for one specific set of people”
Nicole enjoys writing for the DWC Blog because she gets to learn about other peoples’ stories and relationships with dance. She points out that in everyday dance training, it’s rare that dancers discuss how dance has helped shape their lives. Hearing the stories of others has opened Nicole’s eyes to what dance can do for people and the capacity that it has to transform lives. Through conducting and transcribing interviews, she also feels a stronger attachment to the local dance community in Seattle and a greater understanding of its interconnectedness.
Outside of working and dancing, one of Nicole’s greatest passions is film. She enjoys watching movies in her free time, but she is unsure of what she would like to pursue in college. Growing up, she loved watching the movie Monsters, Inc., and today she’s a huge fan of Knives Out, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Marvel movies. She’s also fond of taking photographs, spending time with her friends and family, and engaging in self-care when she can.
This summer, Nicole is attending a summer film program at UCLA and plans to start preparing her college applications and touring universities. She is still unsure about where she wants to land for college, but she is excited for the future. Nicole also shares that she has some dance performances coming up that she’s preparing for with her dance studio.
We’re thrilled to have Nicole as our new DWC blog editor! Stay tuned for more posts from her in the upcoming months.
About the Author
Disclaimer
All content found on the Dancewear Center Website, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and all other relevant social media platforms including: text, images, audio, or other formats were created for informational purposes only. Offerings for continuing education credits are clearly identified and the appropriate target audience is identified. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. Dancewear Center does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on dancewearcenter.net. Reliance on any information provided by dancewearcenter.net, Dancewear Center employees, contracted writers, or medical professionals presenting content for publication to Dancewear Center is solely at your own risk.
Links to educational content not created by Dancewear Center are taken at your own risk. Dancewear Center is not responsible for the claims of external websites and education companies.
Interested in writing for the DWC Blog? Click below to fill out the DWC Contributor application!