“You can always do one more pirouette”

Taylor Siu: “I’ve been dancing for 14 years since I was 2. My mom put me in classes, then when I was around 8, I started taking it more seriously and competing. That’s when I started dancing because I really enjoyed it. I dance 20-25 hours a week on average, so it’s hard trying to balance it with school. But in the end, I really enjoy the people I’ve met so I continue to do it. I’ve been inspired by my friends by the way they dance because it’s so inspiring and beautiful to watch. My teacher at my studio, Tawnya, inspires me because her choreography itself is so different than a lot of other choreographies that you see around Northern California. My favorite part about dance is that there’s a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. There’s the whole technical aspect of striving to get something the best that it can: knowing that you can always do one more pirouette or you can always jump higher. I’ve grown as a dancer by improving my style and becoming a more individualistic dancer and creating my own identity through movement and technique. As a person, it’s made me have a stronger work ethic. I know how to manage my time. Socially, it gives me a chance to talk to a lot of people that I wouldn’t have if I never started dancing. I’ve met people who’ve been on TV shows, and it’s really cool to see how people in the industry use dance as a career.”