McMinnville, Oregon - Academic Performance

Winter Academic Performances

Written by Nikki Friedrich

I remember the first time I was able to watch an academic performance. I was young, about 4 or 5, and I can still remember being amazed by the dancers around me. How gracefully they turned, how high their legs got, and everything about them amazed me. I remember thinking to myself how much I wanted to be able to do that, the jumps, the turns, and especially be on pointe.

Every year, I remember working with my class to learn the curriculum of the next level. The steps would be new to me, difficult, often confusing me and making me frustrated, but I would know that what ever the step was, something more beautiful would come out of it. Whether it was balance, flexibility or strength, I could remember what this new and difficult more or exercise would turn into, thanks to the academic performance.

After working so hard on steps, I looked forward to going back down those steps and into the theater to see what I would be working toward in the coming year. The Academic Performance to me was a gauge, one that I could use to help strengthen my abilities. I could see what I was doing and what I would need to do to be able to do the next step.

My favorite part of the Academic Performance was watching the dancers that the pointe girls would put on. I would remember the dances they did always amazed me in one way or another. Whether it was a classical dance like an excerpt form the Nutcracker or a modern piece choreographed at the studio, it never cease to enchant me, and make me think ‘I want to be able to do that’.

Now, years later, I am now in the last class to perform and no loner able to sit in the audience, that doesn’t mean I still can’t watch. I now look out on the faces of the younger dancers and can watch them watch my class, and see them feel as I felt. And I cant’ help but think that in a few years these girls will be where I am now, inspiring others to push themselves, just as I was once inspired as well, thanks to the Academic performance.