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Dancer explores career choices in program

A local dance graduate knows exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life and is moving on to discover
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Emily Hart will continue her love of dance in a program down south.

A LOCAL graduate knows exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life and is moving on to discover what area of her chosen career suits her best.

Emily Hart, 18, eagerly awaits the start of her training at the Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program in Vancouver this September.

“I heard about it through my dance teacher and I also heard about it because some of my friends are in Vancouver doing the dance program...so I went online and looked into it and realized it was exactly what I was looking for and wanted to pursue,” she said.

The program goes until June and includes up to 25 hours a week in dance, voice, performance and other dance-related studies.

Hart has been dancing with dance teacher Leah Correia for 11 years, the last five of which have been at Art in Motion Dance Studio.

“My mom threw me in when I was little, I think I was three and she wanted me to do something instead of being a boring kid,” says Hart.

“I instantly loved it and always wanted to do it.”

The main reason she loves it  is the feeling she gets in the studio where she can express herself, she says.

“It puts me into a completely different zone. No matter where I am, I’m always happy when I’m dancing,” she says.

“I just love it. I couldn’t go the day without it.”

To audition for the Harbour Dance Centre program, she had to learn two pieces, one contemporary piece and one hip hop piece and then she had to do other moves to see her style and how she could pick things up.

She has trained in ballet, jazz, modern and contemporary and says her favourites are contemporary and jazz because “contemporary you can let go more and jazz you can have more style with it.”

Hart has participated in the Pacific Northwest Music Festival since her first solo at seven-years-old and has competed in many dance competitions in B.C. and Alberta.

This past year, at the festival, she placed first in her jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical and pointe solos and danced in seven groups with her fellow dancers at Art in Motion.

She topped the festival off by performing at the scholarship night as the senior dance representative and won the award of excellence scholarship for senior dance.

When the program ends next June, she’s not sure where it will take her but she’s open to the options.

“They kind of direct you,” says Hart. “At this point, I’m really open minded. I love teaching. I love teaching younger guys they grow up to be like you and want to be like you and I’ve always wanted to be a backup dancer for a singer.”