By Alana Davies
In recent dance shows at Collingwood, which feature a variety of our school’s talented dancers, eleventh-grader Ainsley Bustos is sure to have caught your eye. A leader both inside and outside of the studio, she is no doubt one of our school’s top dancers. Collingwood has been lucky to see this driven, dedicated girl excel in many aspects of school life -- in academics, leadership, and of course, dance.
“I started at Anna Wyman School of Dance in West Vancouver,” Ainsley begins. “My mom signed me up at three years old, and since then I’ve done ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre.” Even from this young age, Ainsley loved being on stage and performing for a crowd, as evidenced by her commitment to this passion of hers.
Now doing ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop (the latter at school), Ainsley’s two favourite styles are lyrical and hip hop, “which is strange because they are polar opposites”. Once a student at Vanleena Dance Academy, she switched to Shift Dance Academy a few years ago to follow a teacher with whom she had a great connection. Her proudest accomplishments at Shift have been winning gold with her teams and getting her own lyrical solo last year.
In recent dance shows at Collingwood, which feature a variety of our school’s talented dancers, eleventh-grader Ainsley Bustos is sure to have caught your eye. A leader both inside and outside of the studio, she is no doubt one of our school’s top dancers. Collingwood has been lucky to see this driven, dedicated girl excel in many aspects of school life -- in academics, leadership, and of course, dance.
“I started at Anna Wyman School of Dance in West Vancouver,” Ainsley begins. “My mom signed me up at three years old, and since then I’ve done ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre.” Even from this young age, Ainsley loved being on stage and performing for a crowd, as evidenced by her commitment to this passion of hers.
Now doing ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop (the latter at school), Ainsley’s two favourite styles are lyrical and hip hop, “which is strange because they are polar opposites”. Once a student at Vanleena Dance Academy, she switched to Shift Dance Academy a few years ago to follow a teacher with whom she had a great connection. Her proudest accomplishments at Shift have been winning gold with her teams and getting her own lyrical solo last year.
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Not only is Ainsley an active member of the dance community on the North Shore, she shares her talent here at Collingwood as well. She is a part of the Senior Dance Company and Hip Hop Crew at school, and helps to teach the Junior Dance Company by choreographing pieces for their shows. In her Human Services block at school, she also helps Ms. Tench teach a grade eight class.
When asked why she loves to dance, she replies, “Dancing brings a song to life, and by putting choreography to it, I often end up loving the song more. When you find a good piece with good choreography, that’s all you want to do!” It also acts as a stress-reliever for Ainsley: “It’s a good way to let go of stuff; it’s a sort of haven for me, to be able to express myself in that way.”
Ainsley has always taken her main inspiration from older girls at her studio, especially when she was younger. “Watching higher-level girls, who are your peers, work really hard at the studio is inspiring,” she explains. She has met Tara-Jean Popowich, a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, at a convention, and has since been in admiration of her as well.
Her advice to other dancers is this: “Work really hard while you’re in the studio, don’t waste your time, and take all the advice that your mentors give you. You don’t want to feel regretful that you didn’t work as hard as you could have in a certain class. If you work hard, then you’ll be happy with your progress.”
Although Ainsley does not wish to become a professional dancer, she knows that she will always have dance in her life. Whatever she chooses to do, we know that she will succeed, and we wish her the best of luck in pursuing her dancing dreams!
When asked why she loves to dance, she replies, “Dancing brings a song to life, and by putting choreography to it, I often end up loving the song more. When you find a good piece with good choreography, that’s all you want to do!” It also acts as a stress-reliever for Ainsley: “It’s a good way to let go of stuff; it’s a sort of haven for me, to be able to express myself in that way.”
Ainsley has always taken her main inspiration from older girls at her studio, especially when she was younger. “Watching higher-level girls, who are your peers, work really hard at the studio is inspiring,” she explains. She has met Tara-Jean Popowich, a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, at a convention, and has since been in admiration of her as well.
Her advice to other dancers is this: “Work really hard while you’re in the studio, don’t waste your time, and take all the advice that your mentors give you. You don’t want to feel regretful that you didn’t work as hard as you could have in a certain class. If you work hard, then you’ll be happy with your progress.”
Although Ainsley does not wish to become a professional dancer, she knows that she will always have dance in her life. Whatever she chooses to do, we know that she will succeed, and we wish her the best of luck in pursuing her dancing dreams!
