I
was cleaning out my email today, and I stumbled upon my "Dancer of the
Month" highlight from when I was a dancer in the Evanston Dance
Ensemble:
Having relocated from California, JENNIFER SUN joined EDE just three years ago. However, in this short time, Jennifer has become a favorite of EDE audiences. Dancing
key roles in All the Rage (2005) and The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe (2005 and 2006), Jennifer has enhanced EDE productions with her beautiful dancing and signature grace and elegance. Of course, to be an EDE dancer,
one has to be prepared to depict a wide range of characters and
emotions. In LWW, Jennifer danced everything from a delicate Snowflake,
a menacing Tree, a blooming Flower and a mysterious Hag in a single
evening!
Jennifer began her dance training at the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy in California when she was eight years old because she wanted to be “a pretty ballerina.” She also trained at California’s New World Dance studio and West Coast Dance Theatre. Luckily for EDE, after Jennifer’s family relocated to Illinois, her mother’s office in Evanston happened
to be close to Dance Center Evanston and she found us! Jennifer
started taking classes at DCE the summer before her Freshman year in
high school and later that year joined EDE. She
is currently taking six classes at DCE and is both recovering from
LWW’s successful, return engagement performances earlier this month and
preparing for the upcoming 2007: A Dance Odyssey in March, 2007.
Jennifer lives in Wilmette and is a Senior at New Trier Township High School. Her favorite academic subject is Spanish and she is considering a career as a pediatrician, teacher or businesswoman.
This is Jennifer’s final year of her all-too-brief career with EDE. Her favorite part of the EDE experience
has been the professionalism of the company and the close friendships
with and support from her fellow company members. Her time with EDE has
been a rich experience; she recalls exciting episodes (the overwhelming
success of the premiere of LWW), favorite roles (as a “Hag” in LWW),
strange moments (struggling to get her LWW Tree costume tucked into her
tights each night), and distressing times (breaking her “Hag” costume
during a quick change during a performance). In the end, Jennifer
states that, to her, EDE has meant “a chance to perform and to do what [she] loves best: dancing!”
And
then I found video excerpts from "The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe," which made me smile and cringe at the same time. (Ugh, did
you see my awful arabesque at the end?)
In
high school, I danced every single day. Ballet, pointe, modern, and
jazz. Two hours on weekdays and eight hours on the weekends. School,
dance, homework, repeat. I never slept over than 5 hours a night, but I
loved it.
But
when I started college, I got so busy with school and clubs that there
simply was not enough time in the day. So I stopped dancing.
I
didn't realize how much I missed dancing until senior year when I
organized a series of free dance workshops as part of the LSA's theme
semester "What Makes Life Worth Living." Once a month, I invited a
different dance group on campus to perform and then teach a lesson on
anything from ballroom and swing to hip hop to modern/lyrical. I spent
my own money to provide refreshments, and I spent hours posting posters
(often only to have them covered the next day). I put my blood, sweat,
and tears into planning these workshops, and in the end, I made them
happen.
On
a good day, we would get upwards of 50 participants, and I would be
ecstatic. On a bad day, however, we would get no more than five, and I
would get extremely discouraged. I'd cry and call my mom, and she would
tell me that it didn't matter how many people came as long as I was able
to share my love of dance with just one other person. So on those bad
days, I would dance my heart out and then walk over to the undergraduate
library with all the leftover food to hand out to hungry students.
(Seeing someone happily gobble down a cookie in one bite always made my
day a little better.)
So
my dance events didn't go exactly as planned, but I hadn't felt so
happy in a long time. It felt amazing to dance after not dancing for so
long, and I promised that I would start taking classes again.
Fast
forward a few months...I still hadn't gone back to the studio. I made
up a handful of excuses. I needed to study for finals. I needed a new
leotard. I couldn't find my dance shoes. But the real reason: I was
scared. After not dancing for four years, I had most likely lost all of
my technique and flexibility. I could barely touch my toes. It was
embarrassing.
In
the end, it took a painful relationship break-up to force me back into
the studio. During that period, dance was the only thing that kept me
sane. I wondered how I had survived four years without dance in my life.
All the times I said I didn't have enough time...well, nonsense. There
are only 24 hours in a day, but there is always a way to make time for
the things and people I love. Lesson learned.
Since then, I've been taking at least one class a week, and on some weeks (like this one) I'll go crazy and take seven. So thank you, Mom, for forcing me to take that first ballet class and encouraging me to stick with it through the years.
I
recently had a dance recital, and it was amazing to perform for all my
family and friends. Thank you for those of you who were able to make it!
But in case you weren't able to come, here are the videos from the
performance, in case you're interested :)
Without You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v8EpUw7l-U
The Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vs6Hs8QvQI
Whitney Houston Tribute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxqh9FtL0A4
So until next time, I hope you dance :)
Love Always,
Jennifer
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