Meet Annika | Dogwood Dance Company Feature | Year Seven
This is my seventh year working with Dogwood’s Dance Company and showcasing their talents through my camera. It has been such an honor getting to know so many dancers over the years, As a former middle school teacher I love this age and it fills my heart to get to know these dancers and work them in such a fun setting every year!
The Dogwood Dance Company was established in 2016. It is an audition-based student dance company from Dogwood 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 Dogwood 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 met at the Branch Muesuem and chose their favorite spots to showcase their movement and choreography they have learned through this year’s dance curriculum.
MEET Annika
Annika - 8th Grade
Hi there! My name is Annika, I am an 8th grader here at Dogwood Middle School and this is my third year in the dance company. My dance journey dates back to the 4th grade. I started having interest in dance when I would just dance around my house and alone in my room. Dance was a way for me to express myself and escape reality. If I was going through a hard time it made it easier for me to express my emotions through dance. I have been taking classes ever since, I started out at a small studio named River City and loved it. When Covid came around, I did online classes for a while but stopped because it started to get hard to balance dance and online school. When I applied for Dogwood, I knew I had to try out for the dance company because I had missed dancing after I stopped. Before I knew it, auditions for the company rolled around and I got a spot on the team. I fell in love with the community here and the passion for dance everyone like me had. Since then, I have continued to improve and learn from my teachers and peers. As an 8th grader now, I look back at all the things I have learned from being in company and getting to experience this amazing opportunity. I now continue to dance at my studio called The Dance Candle. Dance will forever be my passion and a great way for me to build connections, learn from others, think outside the box, and try new things.
