When I think about the dance teachers who influenced me, the modern program at my performing arts high school stands out. Bambi Anderson taught Limón, Rebecca Cannan taught Horton, and Peter London taught Graham. I think having codified modern techniques from ages 14 to 18 took my training to a whole other level. I grew up as a competition dancer and took ballet classes at Miami City Ballet School. To have these modern techniques available within a public-school education was life-changing. For people like me with diverse backgrounds and financial situations, this free education was an incredible opportunity. I got to dive into the nuance and history of each technique; these teachers treated it like a treasure they could share! I was inspired by their care to hold on to the truth of technique without wavering. They could specifically describe not just the movement, but the way the movement should be approached and where it came from, who created it. That was my first experience with teachers who took time to explain the lineage of the dance style I was learning.
Now that I’m a contemporary dancer working for a repertory company [Eisenhower Dance Detroit], I feel like my modern technique has become the base for my contemporary work. I can pinpoint how many popular movements in contemporary dance are rooted in modern dance. I try to tie it together and hold on to those techniques, even as I move my body differently. That foundation made me a stronger contemporary dancer.
All three New World teachers emphasized the heart and artistry that I needed to find from within. I was encouraged to not just do it technically correctly, but with passion. Martha Graham was really invested artistically, and your passion must seep through your movement. I learned to move with the performance quality I used onstage, but in a class setting. For all three teachers, performance had to begin in the classroom. Peter London would ask us, “How did our soul come out while we’re going across the floor?”
I wasn’t very confident in myself during high school. These teachers helped and encouraged me, even when I didn’t feel like I was ready for auditions like the Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive. They helped me find the courage to step into that audition room, and they gave me the training needed once I was in the room. When I was accepted to the program, it catapulted me into believing in the possibilities. Because New World is also a college and they were college professors, they spoke to me as if I was already a college student, and that pushed me. They helped me prepare for BFA program auditions, and I developed my confidence during this time. By the time I went to The Ailey/Fordham BFA program I was already exploring the professional dance world, and during my junior year was invited to join Ballet Hispánico’s second company while still in school. I credit my pre-professional training with preparing me for my career.
I want to thank Peter, Bambi, and Rebecca for their passion, and for sharing specific techniques with their students. Now that I also teach, I understand that you don’t always know if you’re getting through to your students. But they got through to me, and it went further than they realize in my life.