Student Blogger: Claire Desenberg

Auditioning never gets any easier. It's an inevitable part of a performing career. We're always proving ourselves and our abilities. They say you are only as good as your last performance and I suppose that's true. We spend day after day perfecting turn after turn in the studio for only one shot on stage in front of everyone. I think to myself before I start; just breathe and don't blow it.

You are never too old to have dreams or to drop everything and go after them. I think too many people worry about the wrong things in life and have their priorities sideways. Money and sensibility will only take you so far in life. Life is too short to not be happy and do everything you've ever wanted in this world. I think dreams are what keep life exciting and at no point in life should we ever stop dreaming.

There will be many times when one day you pack up your life and wave goodbye to everything you once knew and run towards the unknown with nothing but yourself. It's scary and people will tell you how brave you are while you stand with your knees shaking with fear for what's in front of you. There are so many questions you don't have the answer to yet and so many ways this could all go sideways. It used to be a dream and now it's a-soon-to-be reality that we toy if we're even ready for.

It's that time of year again, the summer nights are quickly fading into crisp fall evenings, back to school supplies are flying off the shelves, and the nerve wracking college application season is here like it or not. With the competitive stakes higher than ever and with more and more students applying to top universities, you may feel like it's nearly impossible to get into the school of your choice, but I promise it's not.

I don't believe in anticipating the possible impending downfall of my career and everything I've worked for. I feel when you prepare a plan B, you've already accepted the failure of plan A. Anything is possible until it isn't, so don't sell yourself short. I've been through a few 'plans' or ideas of what is next in my career so to speak, but not until the previous plan is completely written off as a no go. I'm not going to think up and move on to the next plan until the first plan has completely run its course. So don't ask me what plan B is when I haven't even started plan A.

We need to encourage dancers to take breaks and create a culture where self care is praised as well as taking well deserved breaks when needed. I promise you will be a lot happier, healthier and a stronger, more mindful dancer when you listen to your body and give it what it needs.

College is over now what? We've said our goodbyes and packed up our lives and moved home or somewhere new we've never been before. We're no longer college students, we're I guess what the world calls 'a real adult' and there is a lot to figure out and it looks different for everyone. The most important thing to remember is to not compare yourself.

If there is anything this past year has taught me, it's that we can't wait around until circumstances are perfect to pursue our dreams otherwise we would be waiting around forever. Time is a precious gift and we can in no way afford to waste it. We have to learn to dance through the storms rather than waiting for them to pass.

These are some of the most formative years where you are learning so much about yourself and who you want to be in this world. You will make plenty of mistakes and take risks that will be the best decisions you could have made. As cliché as it is, take every moment for what it is and don't stress about what hasn't happened yet

As a graduating senior just about ready to run and jump off the nearest cliff the next time I hear this arrangement of sounds and syllables in the english language, let me share with you how I answer this question after mentally screaming for about 3 seconds. 

All I have to say for myself is senior year spring quarter vibes. I am shoulder deep in senioritis and have absolutely no desire to watch any of my pre recorded lectures about how different faults are somehow related to plate tectonics. That being said I know we have all about had it with this school year and are ready for that zoom-free hot girl summer life. Here are some of my go to pro-tips to help pull you out of that mid-quarter funk I know we're all sitting in:

After four years at university I've picked up a few pieces of wisdom along the way. For some of you who don't have older siblings who went to college, myself included, I'd like to share with you some pieces of advice.

The best advice I can give you is to listen to your heart (it’s about your heart and no one else’s) and go where it takes you, take risks even if you may fail, and don’t wait around for tomorrow to be the person you want or dream of being.

There are some accomplishments that we are more proud of and more inclined to celebrate bigger, but that shouldn't mean we don’t acknowledge all the small stepping stones that it took to get there. We should be proud of every step we take in this career.

16 weeks, 112 days, that’s how long I have left until graduation. The days are long, but the weeks are quick, one blink and it’ll all be over before I know it. [...] I just want to be done, but at the same time a part of me isn’t sure I’m ready for what comes next. 

It's simple, when I get overwhelmed I cry and it’s ok and that's what happened 2 days ago, Monday night at 9:30pm. It’s normal and we’ve all been there. College is hard especially in the winter quarter and in the middle of a pandemic.