Meet Milani | 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 milani
Milani - 7th Grade
Hi!! My name is Milani and this is my first year in Dogwood’s Dance Company. I didn’t start off wanting to dance. I was more into acting and singing, but when I took a ballet class at age 8, I wanted to go back for the next session and learn more. I took hip hop classes for a year when I was 11, (shout out to Deandra!) and it reawakened my love for dance. In hip hop you don’t have to be crisp, there’s no pointed toes, just your sneakers, attitude and (most importantly) your bounce. One day I helped out the dance company members for their performance. You would’ve thought they were a professional dance company who’ve been dancing together their whole entire lives! I decided then that I wanted to be a part of it. At first, I didn’t have a lot of faith in myself. I thought, “the only audience I’ve danced for was in a musical. How am I going to join a whole entire dance company?” I got in and I ended up choreographing my own piece for the first time! I was so excited.
I love choreographing because there are no rules. Just move your body and let it go. You can do ballet, jazz, tap, hiphop, or whatever calls to you! You can choose to do an uptempo dance, a slow dance, or a meaningful piece. You can fluctuate with your emotions and decide what story you want to tell. Dance is anything, nothing, or something. It is whatever you want it to be! I would like to thank the dance company girls for helping me throughout this year.
