Delilah Warren has been working towards her performing arts degree to pursue a childhood passion: dance.
СAPPIСAPPve been dancing since I was like 5, so itСAPPs always been a good pastime for me. I didnСAPPt really take it seriously until middle school, and since then IСAPPve been saying that I wanted to be a dancer for a career,СAPP she said.
СAPPI do have bad days where my body is hurting and I donСAPPt want to go to class, but I still want to do this for the rest of my life for as long as I can, so just realizing that, honestly, it doesnСAPPt really feel like IСAPPm going to school.СAPP
Delilah has found that the СAPPСAPPs size and the teachersСAPP dedication have benefited her learning experiences tremendously.
СAPPBecause of the size of our program, everything is more intimate and our instructors really do know us and where we want to go," she said. "They really do care about us, break things down to make us better, and theyСAPPre really open to helping us."
СAPPEveryone is there to help you become a better dancer at the end of the day СAPP thatСAPPs all we want.СAPP
Improving as a Dancer
Intro to Dance (DANC 101) class helped her build muscle and endurance, and Dance Composition I (DANC 251) helped introduce her to the technicalities of movement.
СAPPItСAPPs building you up to choreography. You start with composition, and it teaches you how to create movement to create a phrase. WeСAPPre taking pictures of things and you think about what movement itСAPPs going to be, and you put that movement into your body. So, if someone was like, wiping the table in the picture, the wipe motion is what you want to put into your body and into a body part. We work on that.СAPP
Delilah learned a lot about the casting and audition process after being cast in a production her sophomore year.
СAPPAll the choreographers are sitting up front and they have their notebooks and theyСAPPre writing down who they like and who they want to be in their piece. The whole process takes about three hours, depending on how many choreographers they have,СAPP she said. СAPPSometimes they want to freestyle, or sometimes itСAPPs not even about dancing and they want you to do some type of technique.СAPP
The production was a key piece in her development as a dancer as it also taught her a great deal about the more technical aspects of dancing.
СAPPSince it was my first time actually being cast in something, it was definitely a good experience,СAPP she said. СAPPIn the piece I was in, I was the daughter, so figuring out how to act like a daughter, lessen my movement so they could tell the difference between mother and daughter, and also figuring out how to dance with people.
СAPPYou can do so good by yourself, being a solo artist, but dancing with someone else and your bodies touching, itСAPPs different from when youСAPPre by yourself СAPP working with other people in that sense, and working with the choreographer, who is very open to making changes and your suggestions and things like that.СAPP
Preparing for a Career in Dance
One of DelilahСAPPs many goals as a dancer is to become famous СAPP but not exactly how youСAPPd think.
СAPPI want to be СAPPfamous,СAPP but not super famous. Be known for my craft: thatСAPPs really the ultimate goal. It is kind of hard to be known as a dancer or a choreographer, but to be known, like СAPPOh, thatСAPPs Delilah, she did x, y, and z, sheСAPPs an amazing choreographer.СAPPСAPP
In fact, the СAPP is already helping Delilah progress toward her goal.
СAPPWe just had our audition for our show this semester, so IСAPPm excited to see if I get cast in someoneСAPPs piece. TheyСAPPre talking about selling tickets this semester but then also putting in on YouTube so we can get our names out there and everything,СAPP she said. СAPPTheyСAPPre trying to make us more known and get more exposure.СAPP
Along with being known for her craft, Delilah has other goals laid out for herself.
СAPPIСAPPve been saying since I was 10, I want to be a background dancer for Beyoncé. I do want to go on tour with artists as their background dancers,СAPP she said.
СAPPAnd dancers, their career isnСAPPt as long as other careers because of the wear and tear on their body. So when IСAPPm 30-35ish I want to open my own dance studio and, at that point, it gets well known and big so I can maybe make it like a chain in different areas of the state, the country. ThatСAPPs really like, the biggest goal I have, is to have a chain of dance studios.СAPP
As Delilah progresses, sheСAPPs found that while dance is a rewarding path, it is also a challenging one.
СAPPItСAPPs hard to get out of your comfort zone with things, try different techniques, try different ways to do certain things. When you look at other people and theyСAPPre doing things you canСAPPt, it can be discouraging, but you have to remember that everyone is at a different pace and on a different journey and remind yourself that youСAPPll be there eventually.СAPP
Growing as a Professional
DelilahСAPPs business on campus isnСAPPt restricted to dance. She was also on lead staff for as the marketing and campus recruitment chair.
Her leadership role has also helped her improve other aspects of her life as a student.
СAPPBeing on SOUL camp lead staff, that definitely improved my leadership skills, time management, organization, things like that. It taught me how to also run an organization,СAPP she said.
For me, first being a SOUL camp mentor a year ago and then becoming lead staff, I can see my development as a leader, and I can see that in other people as well. ItСAPPs a leader-building organization. Once you go through the office, youСAPPre definitely a better person.СAPP
One of the most important things about the curriculum for Delilah is her growth.
"I'm here, doing this, and itСAPPs something I enjoy and I want to get better as a dancer, so IСAPPm really excited to see how I develop over the next two years, three years, and see who I become as a dancer.СAPP
