Inspired by dance at a young age, sophomore Kendall Boston started taking classes with one of her friends when she was seven years old. Ever since, dance has been an influential part of her life.
“There are so many different people in dance so it’s taught me to accept them and their different opinions,” Boston said, “You also learn discipline from it.”
Boston attends Allegro Performing Arts Academy, where she practices a variety of dance styles including jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet and lyrical. For Boston, dance is not only a means of expression but also an opportunity to meet people and gain new experiences.
“I made a bunch of close friends through dance. I like that you can never get perfect at it and it’s just fun to keep trying different things,” Boston said.
In general, she takes dance classes four days a week, but practice increases as competitions approach.
“If I have a competition coming up I practice up to seven days a week,” Kendall said.
Although it is difficult at times, Boston has learned to balance her school requirements with her demanding dance schedule.
“Guided study helps, and even though I try to do my homework right after school I usually have to stay up late,” Boston said.
But her efforts have certainly paid off, as Boston has previously won numerous awards including last year’s Regional Maximum Velocity Artist award for the Velocity Dance Competition, the Elite Dancer Award at West Coast Dance Explosion, and VIP Artist at the Jump Dance Competition. Although she starts competing in January, her upcoming convention is next month’s Radix Dance Competition, and she seems passionate and excited for her promising future of dancing.
“I really want to dance professionally after I go to college and hopefully go to LA and start dancing there,” Boston said.