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By Christina Ricucci

Summer is the perfect time to try new things, especially when it comes to dance. Whether it’s a new dance intensive, taking part in a workshop that’s different from your regular style, or taking a class from a teacher you’ve always wanted to learn from; summer is the perfect time- even if it does make you a little nervous! I think that if we all pushed ourselves to do something that’s out of our comfort zone, it can’t help but make us grow stronger as dancers and individuals.

I love to take ballet class and contemporary class. That’s how I spend the majority of my training and those styles feel comfortable to me. Something that isn’t so comfortable for me is hip-hop. This summer, I had the opportunity to take classes at the “Dancerpalooza Crash Course” workshop. Dancers from all over the country came and took many classes in a wide variety of styles. Of course I took ballet and contemporary classes, but I felt I needed to do something totally different, so I took a variety of hip-hop classes too. Every choreographer has his or her own unique style and the classes were great! It was challenging and a little uncomfortable at first but I’m SO glad I took them because now I feel a little more knowledgeable and relaxed in that style, and I am excited to take even more classes!

If you ever feel afraid to try a new style of dance because you might not be “good” at it your first time, embrace that fear! Pushing yourself is how you learn and grow. Versatility is so important in the dance world and understanding different styles helps shape you as an artist and dancer. So for the rest of this summer and beyond, I can’t wait to keep trying new things. Diversity is great!