Veronica Stowe explains that lyrical dance is a mix of jazz and ballet but with more mellow music.
The 15-year-old North Vancouver teen participates in a variety of dance at Perform Art Studios, including jazz, ballet, and hip hop, but lyrical is her favourite.
She was three when she first tried ballet, and by the time she was eight she was trying other forms.
“I like the movements and I like how it’s just a way to express yourself in a different way than talking,” she says about dancing. “I really like it.”
The hardest to learn has been jazz because it’s more like modern dancing, the music is upbeat, and the choreography is fast, she notes.
Veronica has gotten more serious about her dancing in the past couple of years and is now considering teaching dance as a potential career option in the future.
Having some rhythm helps when dancing, as well as being flexible, Veronica says. Being able to switch from the flowing movement of lyrical dance to the sharp moves in hip hop is also a skill she needs when taking her different classes.
Veronica currently clocks in about eight hours a week dancing, but says she’ll probably do more next year. She has already been in lots of competitions and recently brought home the bronze medal from a Whistler event. Since solos are part of competition, along with group performances, Veronica sometimes competes against her classmates, but says they all support each other regardless of who wins.
“We kind of became a family over the years and we kind of bonded over this. I like that,” she notes of their friendships.
Veronica admits that sometimes when she first steps out on stage she gets a bit nervous, but quickly forgets about the jitters when the music starts and she launches into her routine.
“After a while you forget people are watching you because you get into the dance,” she explains.
Every January and June, Perform Art students put on shows for their family and friends, and she doesn’t get stage fright then either.
“Since I’ve been performing for so many years I kind of know what’s going to happen,” she says.
Veronica attends summer camps at the studio and although her classes are more advanced, she says anyone can give dance a try.
“Anybody can learn if the put their mind to it ,” she says. “If you work hard at it you will get better.”
For more information about summer camp programs at Perform Art Studios visit performartstudios.com.
This story originally appeared in a special section of the North Shore News focused on summer camps.
