Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Wilson.
Sara, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Dance has always been my biggest joy and passion in life. I always knew I wanted to teach dance. However, dance was not something that came easily to me. I could pick up choreography easily in my head and break anything down for anybody else. Unfortunately, my body didn’t always get the memo. My body lacked the mind-body connection, strength, flexibility, etc.
Some of my teachers and friends kept encouraging me to do what I love. They kept pushing me hard, making me strive to reach my goals. Others — not so much. To those that were honest, but kept pushing me hard — I couldn’t be any more grateful. Those people are why I teach the way I teach — honest but encouraging. I try to build the confidence of each person I work with through the art of dance. I make them realize that they can work hard and achieve anything they want. But, they absolutely have to put in the work.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I have the honor of teaching dance, primarily to high school aged students. I give weekly technique classes, during which we stretch, do a lot of strengthening and conditioning, and work on picking up choreography quickly. I also allow the students to play — meaning work on incorporating their own dynamics in the choreography, play with timing and musicality, and being expressive with their movements. I also get the privilege of setting choreography for competitions. I mainly set solos because I truly enjoy the one-on-one connection with the dancer and creating something special just for him/her.
Within this guise, I really try to not only build each dancer’s technique and ability but more importantly, I want them each to feel important. I want their time with me to be an escape and stress reliever. I want each dancer to leave our time together feeling absolutely wonderful about him/herself. I want each dancer to know that with good consistent hard work, anything is possible. If someone is viewing a dance I created, I want them to feel something from it. I’ve created pieces about losing someone to cancer (in honor of a dear college friend that lost his battle to lymphoma), suicide prevention, faith in a higher power… and I’ve also set pieces simply to make people smile and have fun.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I absolutely think that with present world events, the role of artists has changed. I think it’s constantly changing. I also think that we have the choice to have a voice or express an opinion or not. Because I work with kids, I choose to let my time with them be whatever therapy they need. If there was an event that I know affects them, I’ll give them the choice to dance it out and dance through their feelings, or I’ll let them choose to pick happiness and fun. Due to the fact I want my class to be an escape, I tend to not bring current events or heavy situations in. I think if I worked with adults, I would approach it very differently. I think artists have the ability to bring awareness and a voice to current events. In many cases, artists bring awareness to events that otherwise may not receive notice.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can see my work on my social media, Instagram and Facebook. Those are mainly snippets from class though. I don’t often post-competition pieces I set because I feel like that dance and that performance is theirs. If they want to post it, great. But, I truly feel that sharing that should be up to them. To show support, come take class! Go to Dance Services by Sara on social media and like and share! My business is solely spread through word of mouth. I don’t advertise. Someone passing on my name is truly the best support and the biggest compliment!
Contact Info:
- Email: dancebysara@gmail.com
- Instagram: Dance Services by Sara
- Facebook: Dance Services by Sara
Image Credit:
Headshot—Kevin Hoehne (See What Develops Photography)
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