I have been dancing since I was 5 years old. I started to take dance classes at my elementary school, during kindergarten. They mostly focused on one style of dance, ballet, which was the start of my dance journey. After the classes ended I went to Grace Arts for a few years and took Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, and Tap. My favorite dance style then and now was always Contemporary and this is because of two reasons. I love to write and tell stories, so putting together telling stories and dancing made Contemporary one of my favorites. The other reason was because Contemporary is also about expressing yourself through dance and that is what helped me to start liking to dance better. After I took tap I stopped going to dance class for a while and started other things, but I still liked to dance more than other sports. When I came to Binford I was thrilled they had a dance company. My first year I tried out and I didnt get in. That didn’t stop me, and the next year I did! So now, here I am telling my story.

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Dance is my everything, it is a way for me to express my emotions without having to verbally speak about them. Dance has always been a way for me to cope with grief, happiness, confusion and so much more. Dance is my therapy and I do it because it is the only thing that can be whatever I make it. Without the Binford Dance Company I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunities I have now. I have had such amazing relationships and experiences through this company and I could not be any happier to say I am a proud member of the BDC. 

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Hi my name is Makenzie and this is my dance journey . I have been dancing since I was 7, specifically ballet and tap. I always thought that I was not a dancer and then I took one class and said this is what I want to do.  Dance means the world to me and I love how it makes me feel. When I’m dancing, I feel like I can express myself and enjoy myself. I also feel happy and joyful when I dance but I can express myself as sad and scared and much much more. I love dancing so much because I can also find new friends and good bonds with people who you can trust. I am only in sixth grade so I hope to grow with the Binford Dance Company. I really love to choreograph dances and work with improvisation. I enjoy hip-hop and jazz and just doing dance in general. I love being taught by Ms. Perkinson. She is the reason why I’m in the Binford Dance Company and I appreciate her a lot. She is helping the dance company grow so much and I’m so excited to try out again next year. 

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Since I can remember, dance has been my passion. Even when I was in kindergarten, I remember going to my studio after a long day at school, ecstatic to dance my heart out. It was my safe space, and I loved being able to express myself through movement. However In the past year or so, my view of dance has changed–I now see some of the negative aspects of ballet. 

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Dance is a big part of my life. Dance is who I am and it makes me feel happy. When I dance I can’t explain how I feel. I just move with the flow. Dance just makes the sad days happy and the bad days easy.

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My name is Juliana and I love to dance. I've been dancing since I was very little but ballet is what has always stuck out to me. I've always loved the elegance and flowyness of ballet. I enjoy trying different styles of dance but there is something about the specificity of ballet. I feel in ballet you can always do better, you can always be stronger, and you can always improve your technique. I feel that in some other styles you either have it or you don't. Ballet is hard, and it hurts, and sometimes I really wish I could go home and never go again, but the will that makes me go to my next class and makes me try my hardest to get better is what reminds me of how much I love it. I currently go to Richmond Ballet and next year I will go on pointe. I'm in seventh grade and this is my second year being in the Binford Dance Company. I've loved the dance company ever since I joined. It's such a safe space to be in but we also push and inspire each other to improve. We truly are a team and we grow together as dancers and as people. I'm so glad to have been able to be a part of this little community and I will never forget what an impact dance company has had on me.

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hen I got in I was so excited. I stopped dancing at the Ballet because it got in the way of dancing at school. However,  I hope to start again in the upcoming fall. At school I've got along with mainly everyone in the dance company, and it’s been a really fun experience.

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 Dance gives me a lot of confidence and it’s a beautiful art form. I have loved to dance ever since I was 1. I always liked dancing and moving in different ways. I would often enjoy looking at others dance. For a while I liked ballet the most because of the smooth and glorious movements. I took many classes on various dance genres. I feel like more people, especially kids, should do dance because it's a way you can express yourself without having to speak. Dance is for everyone who enjoys it. Dance is a big part of my life and it means alot to be able to dance with the Binford Dance Company.

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Dance can mean so many things, but to me it is a way to create feeling in emotion with my body while others can feel that energy and emotion from the movement and music. Anyone can dance, they just need to find a reason to. (Or not technically, you don’t need a reason to dance!)

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My relationship with dancing had always been a beautiful thing. Going to my dance studio had always been something I looked forward to and enjoyed. Unfortunately, in the past couple of months, a lot has changed in my viewpoint towards dancing. 

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I have been in Binford Dance Company for 3 years. I have had so many amazing opportunities because of it and I have met new people. I have gone to new places, and most importantly, I have gotten amazing experiences. This year I auditioned for Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Technology or (ARGS). I did not have a lot of confidence in getting in. I doubted myself and my abilities. I worked for hours on my solo, perfecting it. I wanted it to be perfect so I had my best chance of getting in. When I found out I got in I started crying because I was so relieved to know that I had a good option for a high school I could go to. I had another option of a high school I could go to and I was not sure which high school I wanted to attend. The other option was a less risky choice, I knew more people there and it was just a normal school. I was scared to go to Appomattox because I wasn't sure if I would belong there, if I was good enough to go there. In the end I followed my heart and chose to go to Appomattox. Now for the next 4 years, I will be dancing at school every day. I have really enjoyed my experience in Binford Dance Company and I can't wait to continue my dance journey at Appomattox. 

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My dance journey was complicated but it was an amazing experience! Dance allows me to revive and express my feelings. I feel like dance is something that you would do to relieve all of the stress you have. But I mostly do dance because it's just fun and is a hobby of mine. 

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The Merriam-Webster definition of dance is “to move one's body rhythmically, usually to music; to engage in or perform a dance,” but to me, dance is so much more. To me, it means being around people who lift me up. It means being able to have an outlet for my feelings. It means becoming the best possible version of myself. But most of all, it means having the safety of escaping the real world and returning feeling unstoppable.

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Choreography means the world to me, I think it’s so important to share ideas and hopes. For people to listen to them and perform your visions perfectly is the best feeling. Every choreographed piece I have been in has been so fun and creative, even if it’s about the end of the world or about the famous movie Grease, every dance has a little touch of personality and feeling mixed into it and that’s what's so special. I personally haven’t choreographed a big piece but I cannot wait for that day to come. I have had so many inspirations around me and people who help me grow, so hopefully that process will be easy. I plan on making beautiful pieces I can and will call my own, and to show my creativity and art through those pieces. Art is the best part of dance, to create and show.

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I was having trouble coming up with a word for the photoshoot. I could not think of many words that described me. I decided on the word sharp for a few different reasons. In dances I choreograph, I tend to go with sharper, quicker movements that have straight or bended arms, usually not super flowy. People around me have told me I'm sharp-witted, especially as a student. When people say that, it makes me feel happy and proud of myself. That’s why I chose that word.

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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.

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I’ve loved being in dance company for the last three years. It's taken me a long way in dance and I will continue to carry those memories with me. I've loved the experience since I auditioned in 6th grade and I'm going to miss being a part of one of the most amazing dance groups.

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Hello! I’m Ruby, and this is my dance journey :) I started dancing when I was 4 and did ballet and tap. As a child, I never really appreciated dance and what I would learn from it, but as I got older I admired dance every second of the way. Later in my life, I did new styles like Jazz, Modern, and Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop was always my favorite and I guess it just made me feel safe, like I could be myself. You could call Hip-Hop my comfort dance. I was never afraid to be myself and add my personality to the dance, which made me really enjoy the moments I was able to take and actively participate in Hip-Hop!!!

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I have been dancing on and off since I was very little. I started dancing at a small studio called Village Dance. I mostly did ballet but I did a little bit of jazz and tap as well. I always liked taking dance there but it was a very small studio so I knew I wouldn't last there very long.

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I’ve loved dancing since I was five years old when I started taking classes at the Richmond Ballet. Since then, I’ve kept up my dance training and it has become a huge part of my life! Most of my journey has been spent on ballet, but I also went through the Minds in Motion (MIM) program which helped me develop modern, tap, character, and theater dance skills. While learning more about those techniques through MIM, I was also taking weekly tap, theater, and of course ballet classes with the Richmond Ballet to really help advance my knowledge of those styles! Now, I dance for about seven hours every week at my studio taking ballet and modern classes.

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