Dancing through life
FCAC student Maya Middlebrook is making the most of her opportunities to persue her passion for dance. When did you become interested in dance? I started dancing when I was three, but it has really grown into a passion over the last five years. At the moment, I am working towards being a part-time dancer. A part-time dancer is someone who dances over 16 hours a week and is doing a Certificate qualification in dance. What type of dance do you enjoy most? While I enjoy all styles of dance like Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical etc., my passion lies with Tap Dance. I love the sounds that the shoes make - the different speeds my feet must go to get those different sounds out of my shoes. How does FCAC help with your interest in dance? I am part of the secondary dance group and help teach the primary dance group. I am working towards my Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management as part of my schooling. I still have a regular timetable, but I have swapped out one subject on the timetable to do the course. I use my spare periods and supervised study lessons to work on all the theory content in my course. Every Friday afternoon, I leave the College campus and go to the League Academy at my dance studio to work on more theory and do the dance component of my course. Why did you choose a Cert IV in dance? I chose to do the Cert IV as I because it gives me the qualifications to be a dance teacher; I love dancing and helping and teaching others to dance. There is nothing more satisfying than helping someone who is having trouble achieving a particular move or step; to be able to help them achieve that is the BEST feeling! During my studies, I need to complete over 100 hours of assistant dance teaching, and it also allows me to learn more about the human body, its muscles, how they all work and how the body moves during dance. How does this certificate help with your future career? Once I leave school, I hope to become a professional tap dancer and or go to QUT in Brisbane and get my degree in Fine Arts Dance; I hope to study education alongside that degree. The certificate will help me get into the Fine Arts Program, and this will enable me to perform in dance companies and further my dance teaching qualifications.
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