Standing In the Rain

As many of you read in the very first post, I spoke about teaching two soloists over the last couple of years. In my last post, "Teaching: Students That Inspire You (Part 2)", I talked about the young woman that I've had the honor of teaching as a soloist for the last 2 years. Today, I'd like to talk about a young man that was in the very first group of kids I ever worked with. I had the honor this year of teaching him his very first solo.

When I first met him he was like any other 3rd grade boy, very energetic, talkative, and always wanted to have fun no matter the circumstance. For 3 years I taught him in my first group of kids, the group of Hip Hop dancers and watched him grow up into an amazing Hip Hop dancer and young man with a stronger passion for dance than he had started with. This year when I was teaching my first soloist that a spoke of before, I ran into him at my former school and he told me about having wanted to do a solo at the LCS Festival (FLOCS Competition) at Southeastern University for the 2016 competition. As usual for any dance, I asked him what style he wanted to do. Assuming he would say Hip Hop I was already thinking of songs in my head, however, he shocked me. The word that came out of his mouth was very unexpected, CONTEMPORARY.

That afternoon, we discussed different song choices, as well as using Hip Hop as a Plan B in case Contemporary didn't work out. I clearly remember asking what kind of meaning he wanted behind his dance, because almost all Contemporary, Modern, and Lyrical dances have some form of a story. The first thing he told me was, "I want to do a dance about perseverance.". Immediately, I knew which song he should do without even knowing a reason behind the decision of perseverance. His solo song would now become not only part of his first Contemporary solo, but it would become his FIRST SOLO ever. The song we chose, is Stand In the Rain by Superchick (we used a male cover from youtube, I will share the link below). If you have not heard this song before, please research it and truly listen to it. When we say TRULY LISTEN, we mean it from the heart. The only way to fully grasp this song is to know the lyrics and fully hear them.

After choosing this song, I began choreographing and we began practicing for multiple hours a week. I'm sure by now you are wondering, why perseverance and why this song? To answer this question, you need to know a background story. This young man is in his 8th grade year, a year that many students begin to face bullying and different struggles. For him, this year hasn't been much different than that. He has spent an entire year being bullied for who he is, a male dancer. Because, as many know society has placed a label on ALL MALE DANCERS. This label being the word "GAY". Now, mind you there are many male dancers that are NOT gay. This young man is not gay, however, he has dealt with this label for quite sometime. As many of us also go through being told, we're not good enough, we don't belong or fit in, we should quit dreaming about what we want to be, or the most unfortunate one of all GIVE UP. He has dealt with this time and time again. Yet, he had no way to prove these people wrong, until this solo came along.

At the LCS Festival he faced many of the people that have talked down to him and he not only stood up for himself and told his story through his dance, he also went out there to stand up for anyone who has ever felt worthless, abandoned, and not good enough. He decided that even though he had only taken Contemporary for 5 months, he wanted to prove those that doubted him wrong and show them he will continue to "Stand In the Rain". At the award ceremony, he was awarded the FIRST PLACE OVERALL AWARD for Worship Dance Solos and received an Invitational to the Regional competition in April!

During our practices, he continued to push himself harder than any student I've ever
either danced with myself or taught, because he is a young man that is chasing his dream despite the nay sayers. Many of us give up on our dreams far to early and never get to see where they may have led us. This young man has been a true inspiration in my life as a future studio owner, choreographer, and person. Not only has he inspired me to continue to fight for my dreams, but he has shown me it doesn't matter what others may say, as long as you remember to always push through and NEVER say the word "CAN'T" because you can always succeed and prove those wrong that doubted you. He may be 15, but he has inspired and reminded me of why I am starting my studio. He has inspired me to open a place where students can come and not only learn, but be encouraged even when others are tearing them down. I will forever live with the inspiration that regardless of the situation at hand, we can always stand strong and remember that no matter how rough the storm in life gets, it will always get better if we continue to believe in ourselves.

"There will be Doubters, there will be Haters, there will be Non-believers. 

Then there's you,

PROVING THEM WORNG!"

-A.P.

To the amazing and talented young man I have had the honor of knowing and teaching for the last 7 years, I want you to truly know that you have been a remarkable inspiration in my life.

You will always be one of my first kids no matter how old or how much taller you get, you will always be one of my first "little ones". I have watched you grow into an amazing dancer and cannot wait to see what God has in store for your dance future! In only a few weeks I watched you go from only knowing a few Contemporary moves to becoming an amazing dancer that I cannot wait to continue to watch grow into an even more phenomenal artist. 

I love you man!

Teaching: Students That Inspire You (Part 2)

Yesterday I posted the first part about what it's like to teach students that inspire you! As a recap for those that may have not read part 1, I talked about a young group of dancers that helped jump start my career as a choreographer! Today, I'm writing about one of my amazing soloists that has truly broadened my horizons with choreography and helped me to see a new side of creating more dynamic dances for not only them, but others to come!

Last year, while volunteering at my former elementary/middle/high school, I was approached by the principal and asked to choreograph for her granddaughter. Never having talked to her other than sharing a few hellos, I agreed to work with her on a Contemporary solo for the LCS Festival (FLOCS Competition) held at Southeastern University. Upon going into working with her, I did not know how much dance she had taken or how long she had been dancing. However, much to my surprise she was amazing for the short time she had been taking classes!

On the first day of practice, we got to know each other and learn a little bit more about each other's dance ability and dance history. Not only was it a great experience learning about her, but listening to her passion about dance truly gave me even more inspiration to choreograph for her! Over the course of the next few practices, she brought me the song Small Enough by Mindy Gledhill. When I originally heard her song choice, my first thought was, "This is a very deep song for a 13 year old". However, after that initial thought, I asked her why she had chosen this song? She then told me stories of things that had gone on in her personal life of going from a full-time homeschool student to an 8th grader going to school everyday. She told me of how it was being the odd-one-out because she had been homeschooled so long and being the only one that loved dance as much as she did. Personally, I could relate to her on so many levels that this dance became less of your "everyday dance" to becoming a story of her life portrayed and expressed through her dance. When she performed this dance at the LCS Festival, you could truly see and feel that she had been through something and wanted to show everyone I've been through things but God is getting me through it and He will get you through it too. This song and dance were her way of showing who she was and what she had gone through to bring hope to those that might feel hopeless.

This year, I had the honor of being able to work with this same young woman again for a second year in a row! However, this year she brought me a lighter and more powerful song, How Can It Be by Lauren Daigle. This song is a song of realizing where you've been and knowing God has brought you out of your time of struggle, even in the moments that you might not deserve it. She had been brought through serious difficult times during her 8th grade year and as many students do, still has struggles in the 9th grade. But this time, she used her story and her dance to express the joy and gratefulness she has for the Lord because even through her struggles and times she might not have deserved the help, God brought her through it. This year, her goal at the LCS Festival was to show everyone that even in times of despair and difficulty God is always there and will bring you through! She is an amazing young woman with a true heart for the Lord and a true heart for dance!

To my first soloist, when you read this, know that I am so proud of you and everything you have accomplished and cannot wait to see where the Lord takes you and your future in dance! 

I love you girl!

Be on the look out for a new post coming at the beginning of next week about my most recent experience with a male soloist and Standing In the Rain.

Teaching: Students That Inspire You (Part 1)

As many of you may have already read in my first post, I talked about having taught groups and soloists over the last few years. However, I didn't quite go into detail about my experiences with the kids I taught. This time, I'd like to tell you about what it's like to start your first job choreographing for a group of 3rd graders that had never taken any form of dance!

In my freshman year of high school, I was dancing and competing full time at my home studio Raskin Dance Studio. At the time, I was not expecting to get asked to help out with an entire 3rd grade class for a dance they would perform at chapel and church services. However, when my former elementary teacher asked me to come help, I said yes and jumped right in! Now, mind you when we started working together, the class had chosen the song NY2LA by Press Play. They had already choreographed ninety percent of this dance and only wanted help with just a small portion of it! When the class performed, they did an amazing job! After their performance, I thought it would be the last time I would work with them. However, I was very wrong and to this day, I'm glad it wasn't the last time. I'll explain why!

Shortly after their performance for chapel and church, the school competition FLOCS, Florida League of Christian Schools held at Southeastern University was coming up. Once again, their teacher and now the principal had approached me about having a small group go to the competition to represent the school. At the beginning, we were all somewhat skeptical because none of the 8 kids that were chosen had ever performed a Hip Hop dance or competed at a competition! However, these kids weren't ordinary kids. They had something special. These kids had a passion for dancing that I had only seen in friends of mine and myself that had been dancing for years!

We began working together and at the first practice I remember we had a discussion that this wasn't going to be super easy and they needed to be alert in practice. Something I will never forget is the look on their faces, they were full of excitement, nerves, and passion for what was to come! They promised me they were ready to work and work hard! Even though they were only 8 and 9 years old, they had begun inspiring me as a choreographer! My biggest fear was choreographing a Hip Hop dance. But, with these amazing kids and the passion they had, I knew nothing was impossible!

They gave me a challenge to give them a dance that would be fun for everyone! During the upcoming practices, they started asking for harder choreography! Which was amazing and even more inspiring! They were ready to work harder than they had originally set out to, because they had the passion for it! On March 5, 2011 they went to their first competition and blew everyone away! These 8 kids went on stage and performed with such a passion and love for dance and God that it truly touched everyone in the room! Not only did they win in my eyes because of such passion and bravery, but they walked away with the First Place Overall trophy and blue ribbons for the Urban Dance Troupe at the FLOCS Competition! That is the day I saw 8 kids with such potential, passion, and love for dance! To this day, at least 5 of them are still dancing and following their passion! I had the honor of being able to teach them during their 4th and 5th grade years as well! Even though our group got smaller over the years, we continued to represent the school and named them the MK Crew and they walked away with 3 consecutive first place trophies and blue ribbons each year we worked together! Each year, the choreography got harder but their passion grew stronger!

They inspired me to create better dances, be a better teacher, and showed me how to love dance even more! I am forever grateful that they started my career as a choreographer and teacher because without their help, I would not be where I am today!

To my first group of kids, I love you guys and will always be grateful to you for helping me realize my dream of teaching and choreographing! I can't wait to continue watching you all grow into beautiful young women and handsome young men!

Stay tuned to read Teaching: Students That Inspire You (Part 2) to learn about what it's been like teaching soloists!

Our Donation Fund

In my last post, I wrote that I would be sharing our Go Fund Me for those of you that would like to read a little more of our story and donate if you feel led to! Every dollar amount counts and is greatly appreciated! Please follow the link www.gofundme.com/solesonfire to find out more about where the funds are going and how to get involved! Thank you in advance to anyone that has donated or will donate in the future! It is greatly appreciated and is not going unnoticed! Don't forget to like us on Facebook at Soles On Fire Dance Academy and follow us on Instagram @solesonfiredance for more information, photos, and other updates!

Get To Know Us!

Hey everyone!

I'm Kelsea and my husband and I are beginning a new journey! We are going to start Soles On Fire Dance Academy based out of Georgia! As of right now, we are currently raising money to go towards our goal of locking down a location, purchasing supplies, and everything else we will need! Later I will share the link to our fundraiser and you can read a little bit more about the company!

Now that I have somewhat introduced you to what we are doing, here is a bit about us! As you already know, I'm Kelsea! I started dancing around the age of 9 at The Dance Experience in Celebration, FL. I started my dance career by taking 3 classes, Ballet, Tap, and Stretch class! After my first year at The Dance Experience, I auditioned for the competition team and was accepted to join for the season. We competed at the following competitions throughout the year, Nexstar, Headliners, and Tremaine Dance Convention. By the time I was 11, I had been put en pointe! It was one of the most amazing days of my dance career, it is truly a moment I will never forget! During the 6th grade, The Dance Experience closed and I then transferred to Raskin Dance Studio in Kissimmee, FL where I continued with my dance training! During my time at Raskin Dance Studio, I learned and grew immensely in my dancing ability! After my first year there, I joined the competition team and competed at Adrenaline Dance Convention, NYCDA, Jump, and Showstoppers Dance Competition.

During my freshman year of high school, I worked with a young group of third graders for a chapel performance to the song NY2LA (New York 2 LA). Little did I know, this was going to jumpstart a future of choreographing for years to come for not only these students but others as well! I worked with these very talented students for 3 years and have now begun working with two amazing soloists for the past two years. These kids have given me amazing challenges as a choreographer that have truly bettered me within my dance abilities.

In May of 2015 my husband and I got married and moved to Georgia in August. Since then, he has worked for Delta and we both have been attending online college classes to continue on our degree paths. Around the middle of December, one of my soloists contacted me about working with her for the 2016 LCS Festival (FLOCS) at Southeastern University. As January rolled around, my husband Tray and I began discussing dance and what it would be like to open a studio! We began thinking about it and soon the talking and thinking became a business that we have now decided we want to open! Later, I will be sharing what kind of studio we are planning to create. I will also be sharing information about upcoming events and classes! Stay tuned to read more about the stages of fundraising, ways to donate or be apart of making this business a reality, and future classes!