By Emily Chen
When someone walks into the theater, they silence their telephone. They steer in their senses on the stage of light in front of them. The rest of the world dims, and for a moment they’re transported into a realm of new ideas portrayed through movement, beauty, entertainment, and risk. It is dance that offers a new perspective towards our world.
“I have been dancing since I was three years old, so it feels like a part of me, I can’t picture my life without dance. It’s a way for me to express myself,” states Yasmin Azizi, an exceptional Grade 10 dance student this year at Collingwood.
Yasmin says that her favorite part of the dance is being able to see herself and group improve over the years. To her, not only is dance a great challenge, but a learning experience where she is able to develop skills like teamwork and perseverance; we learn that it takes time and a bit of risk to challenge oneself with dance; this powerful art of interaction and communication never forgets to captivate its audience. Before coming to Collingwood in the sixth grade, Yasmin attended Braemer Elementary school. She shares a family with four younger siblings, three of whom are triplets. Beginning dance at a very young age, Yasmin at seven years old had already competed in various competitions. Throughout the years, she has continued to love the excitement that dance brings, especially the adrenaline that she has on stage. So far her favorite performance in dance is the current piece she is working in jazz, although yet anticipated as it’s planned to be performed in an upcoming competition.
Yasmin enjoys all kinds of dance from jazz, lyrical, to hip hop. She loves lyrical for its ability of expression and sensation of movement; and in hip-hop, Yasmin finds her love in being able to enjoy and improve as she has only started it recently. Over the years, Yasmin has found herself liking jazz the best, she describes the style to be fast and upbeat. Yasmin says “My favorite subject in school is probably math. I like it when I get the hang of it and understand the concept.” While outside of school, most of her time is taken up by dance at Shift Dance Academy. Other hobbies and interests include sports like field hockey, skiing as well as tennis. Yasmin has developed as a dancer, never forgetting the importance of teamwork and time management.
“Ever since dance at a young age, I have made so many friendships, and I have learned what a good team looks like.” Yasmin draws inspiration from peers at her dance studio and girls in her group who continue to motivate her.
“When dance gets stressful, watching other people do it reminds me of why I love it so much.” Some of the most challenging parts of dance are the injuries that come with it. Last year Yasmin suffered multiple injuries and during this period had to attend to a hospital with overuse injuries.
“Dance is very physically demanding, and with all my injuries, it ultimately effected how I walked while I was constantly in pain. Luckily, I was able to recover over the summer; I’m not going through the same injuries and pains this year.” This was a challenge that Yasmin had to overcome, and we are happy to hear that she’s better, dancing for about 7 hours a week these days. In the future, Yasmin wishes to use her experience and knowledge from dance and everything she’s learned into consideration to the career she pursues. Yasmin will continue to challenge herself in dance and the arts throughout her remaining years in Collingwood and beyond; she wishes to continue to experience new challenges and take new classes with styles she’s never tried before.
“Don’t give up and take risks. It’s all about practicing over and over again, remembering that there is always room for improvement.” - Yasmin Azizi
When someone walks into the theater, they silence their telephone. They steer in their senses on the stage of light in front of them. The rest of the world dims, and for a moment they’re transported into a realm of new ideas portrayed through movement, beauty, entertainment, and risk. It is dance that offers a new perspective towards our world.
“I have been dancing since I was three years old, so it feels like a part of me, I can’t picture my life without dance. It’s a way for me to express myself,” states Yasmin Azizi, an exceptional Grade 10 dance student this year at Collingwood.
Yasmin says that her favorite part of the dance is being able to see herself and group improve over the years. To her, not only is dance a great challenge, but a learning experience where she is able to develop skills like teamwork and perseverance; we learn that it takes time and a bit of risk to challenge oneself with dance; this powerful art of interaction and communication never forgets to captivate its audience. Before coming to Collingwood in the sixth grade, Yasmin attended Braemer Elementary school. She shares a family with four younger siblings, three of whom are triplets. Beginning dance at a very young age, Yasmin at seven years old had already competed in various competitions. Throughout the years, she has continued to love the excitement that dance brings, especially the adrenaline that she has on stage. So far her favorite performance in dance is the current piece she is working in jazz, although yet anticipated as it’s planned to be performed in an upcoming competition.
Yasmin enjoys all kinds of dance from jazz, lyrical, to hip hop. She loves lyrical for its ability of expression and sensation of movement; and in hip-hop, Yasmin finds her love in being able to enjoy and improve as she has only started it recently. Over the years, Yasmin has found herself liking jazz the best, she describes the style to be fast and upbeat. Yasmin says “My favorite subject in school is probably math. I like it when I get the hang of it and understand the concept.” While outside of school, most of her time is taken up by dance at Shift Dance Academy. Other hobbies and interests include sports like field hockey, skiing as well as tennis. Yasmin has developed as a dancer, never forgetting the importance of teamwork and time management.
“Ever since dance at a young age, I have made so many friendships, and I have learned what a good team looks like.” Yasmin draws inspiration from peers at her dance studio and girls in her group who continue to motivate her.
“When dance gets stressful, watching other people do it reminds me of why I love it so much.” Some of the most challenging parts of dance are the injuries that come with it. Last year Yasmin suffered multiple injuries and during this period had to attend to a hospital with overuse injuries.
“Dance is very physically demanding, and with all my injuries, it ultimately effected how I walked while I was constantly in pain. Luckily, I was able to recover over the summer; I’m not going through the same injuries and pains this year.” This was a challenge that Yasmin had to overcome, and we are happy to hear that she’s better, dancing for about 7 hours a week these days. In the future, Yasmin wishes to use her experience and knowledge from dance and everything she’s learned into consideration to the career she pursues. Yasmin will continue to challenge herself in dance and the arts throughout her remaining years in Collingwood and beyond; she wishes to continue to experience new challenges and take new classes with styles she’s never tried before.
“Don’t give up and take risks. It’s all about practicing over and over again, remembering that there is always room for improvement.” - Yasmin Azizi
To check out her previous performances click here: Yasmin Azizi