Jillian is 14 years old, has been dancing since the age of 2, and trains at Winthrop School of Performing Arts in Winthrop, MA.  Here, Jillian participates in several classes as a member of the Senior Company,  is a member of the competition team,  and is a student teacher.  Jillian dances in musical productions with her high schools well.  Jillian’s favorite style of dance is, without a doubt, jazz, and has been since she stepped foot in her first class.  Jillian describes herself as “sassy,” and says that the sassiness jazz provides makes it perfect for her! She also loves the variety of different styles within jazz.  She loves how you can match up the beats of a song to your movements and make it fit so well.  When we asked Jillian what she loves most about dance, she told us that she loves how it allows her the opportunity to focus on the art that she loves and take her mind off of anything negative that may be going on outside of dance.  As someone who has been dancing for just about her whole life, Jillian knows that not every dancer is the same and she finds it so amazing to see how each dancer can take a piece of choreography and make it their own.  Fun fact - Jillian plans on dancing for the rest of her high school career and into her college days as well!

 

Why dance makes Jillian feel ALIVE:

“Dance makes me feel alive because of the ability to express your emotions through different movements. I love how you are able to tell a story through movement and interpretation of the music. I believe everything is more powerful and stronger through dance.”

 

Jillian’s favorite part of the most recent Alive Dance Convention:

"I had a blast at the ALIVE Dance Convention in January. I enjoyed every part of it! Specifically, I loved splitting up into different groups to showcase our talent once we had been taught the dance. I thought it was so awesome how everyone was so uplifting and only had positive things to say about one another. I really enjoyed watching other groups dance, and not only getting inspired by others, but being able to see everyone's hard work that went into these dances."

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Why Jillian is looking forward to the next Alive event:

"I cannot wait till the next ALIVE Dance Convention takes place! I am looking forward to all of the opportunities that come with being an ALIVE ambassador. I am super excited to assist one of the faculty members at the next convention. I always look up to my teachers and assistants, and am always so inspired by them. I hope to do the same for the new group of dancers!"