Booker T Washington High School Reflection

I was selected to attend Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a freshman in the dance conservatory four years ago. In that time the rigorous artistic and academic environment that this school encourages has enabled me to explore my passion for dance, while also expanding my understanding of the world by participating in advanced academic coursework. The faculty at Booker T. Washington has helped mold me into the artist I am through constant corrections and encouragement.
By taking the highest level of classes that my school offers and maintaining active membership in many of my school’s academic and community service based clubs I have been successful in continuously challenging myself. I hold officer positions

in the science national honor society and in the mathematics honor society. I am also a part of student council, the senior event committee, and both spanish honor society and national honor society. After auditioning, I was chosen to be a part of two of my school’s performing companies, The World Dance Ensemble (2016-2017) and The Repertory Dance Company II Ensemble (2017-2018). With these companies I have performed works from various talented choreographers including Phil Orsano, Gregory Dolbashian, and Charles Anderson. The dance faculty and administration have also elected me to represent the dance conservatory many times. First, at a recruitment tour where I performed and answered questions for middle school students. Second, at the 2016 Art School Network Conference I worked with both middle school and elementary students to integrate dance into a lesson on the digestive system. Which we presented to art school faculty from across the United States. Third, I serve as a school ambassador giving tours to groups and individuals that are interested in a Booker T. Washington.
Outside of school, I continue to expand my artistic vocabulary. Since 2015 I have been working with contemporary dancer, Sarah Matzke on her master's degree. Her thesis, summarized, is a concentration on how the body becomes accustomed to a space as it becomes a home. As she remodeles her newly purchased house into her home myself and a few other selected dancers are filmed as we interact with the space after each renovation. I have participated in The Glenda Brown Choreography Project in Kansas City for the past two summers. At this intensive I am required to learn and perform a new piece of choreography every day for two weeks. This past summer I was honored to not only have the opportunity to create a work of my own, but to have my piece be chosen to be performed at the closing ceremony. I also volunteered with the Dallas Independent School District Summer Dance Intensive. My role was to both lead and demonstrate a variety of dance classes for students ages 10-14. I loved getting to know each student individually and seeing them grow throughout the program.
My school is a part of the largest contiguous urban arts district in the United States. Because of this I am just a few blocks away from fantastic artistic happenings every day. The faculty at Booker T. Washington have pushed me to take advantage of this amazing environment at every possible moment, and for that I am very grateful. I have been able to attend performances by world renowned companies: Kidd Pivot from Canada, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company from Israel, and Alvin Ailey from the United States, take master classes from visiting artists, walk through new art exhibitions at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center, and listen to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra play a classic symphony. I know that these experiences have helped shape me into an artist that strives to evolve and develop new ideas, and as my journey continues I believe that the fantastic faculty and amazing program at the Trinity Laban Conservatory offers is just what I need. The conservatory’s many current partnerships, its rich history, and celebrated reputation will effectively prepare me to continue to grow and mature as not only a dancer but as a person. I will not only become technically excellent but also an impressively versatile artist through continued training in both performance and choreographic skills.