Meet Bladen | Binford Dance Company Feature | Year Five

The Binford Dance Company was established in 2016. It is an audition-based student dance company from Binford Middle School, an arts integrated school located in Richmond, VA. Company members study Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Improvisation, and Composition within the Binford dance program. The company has performed throughout the community including: The 2019 Superintendent’s State of the Schools Address, Generation Dream, Richmond Public Schools Fine Arts Festival, Strawberry Street Festival, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology, Petersburg Home for Ladies, and Cedarfield Retirement Community. The company also had the opportunity to perform in the music videos “Have It All” and “Love Is Still The Answer” by Jason Mraz. The Binford Dance Company inspires students to find their own voice through performance and choreography while learning valuable skills in the rehearsal process including collaboration, respect, and confidence.

This year the company dancers chose a word and in studio executed their word through movement, costume and set color and design.

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MEET BLADEN

GLAM0ROUS

Bladen 7th grade

My name is Bladen and I am 13 years old. I started seriously dancing in 4th grade with the Richmond Ballet’s Minds in Motion program. Shortly after that I was introduced to tap dancing and improvisation. Since then I’ve continued to study ballet, modern, and jazz even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, after going back to in-person school I decided to give Binford’s dance program a try and ended up really enjoying it. As of now I plan to keep practicing and performing for years to come.

Dance and choreography really give people a way to express themselves and spread a message. The best thing about dance is that almost everyone can enjoy it or understand it no matter what their background may be. Dancing also can connect you with people and take your mind off of anything that’s stressing you out. Choreography is just as important to me because it’s something that can go very deep or just be fun and crazy.

I chose the word glamorous because it best shows the spirit of dancing and choreography. I think that it shows how anything goes with choreography and it can be however you want it to be. It’s also very energetic and free which fits with how dancing makes me feel. Lastly, it demonstrates how I personally feel about dancing in that it’s a way to be bold and share with others.