HomeCaitlyn Johansen 2010

CAITLYN JOHANSEN 17 Tom Adams Scholarship

Caitlyn Johansen began dance as a way to cross train for the Junior Olympic Hockey team about six years ago. She has fallen in love with dance and decided to pursue a dance career.

In the future Caitlyn wants to dance with a company such as Battleworks or Parson's Dance Company and choreograph for her own dance company. She also has had a desire to create an organization similar to The Dance Council that helps supports the growth of the dance community and provides young passionate artists with life changing opportunities. She is forever grateful for The Dance Council and the individuals that help to create amazing scholarship opportunities such as this one!
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I wanted to attend the American Dance Festival (ADF) for three years. Thanks to the Dance Council I finally had the opportunity to experience the “magic” of ADF this summer. From the preview week all the way to the final night of performances I wore a smile from ear to ear at ADF. This is precisely why I say ADF is “magical”. Never in my life have I experienced an environment as welcoming as ADF. This summer I was surrounded by over four hundred dancers who were bound together by their love of dance. My goal for the rest of my dance career is to carry with me the availability I learned at ADF. Sure, my turn out is stronger after six weeks of 10:00 a.m. ballet and I can now carry a tune after six weeks of rehearsal for Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story. However, the most valuable lesson I took away from ADF is that classes are a place to experiment, to fall down, and to figure out why I fell. When I walk into a dance studio, I leave judgment at the door. I don’t judge others and I don’t judge myself. Despite the competitive nature of the dance world, I know there is a place for me in the future. As long as I keep my head up and my heart open I will find my niche in the dance world; whether that niche is the leading role in a Broadway production or the humble life of a freelance choreographer. ADF changed my life. I look forward to everything I can do with my future. I would like to thank the Dance Council for allowing me what I view as the most influential and nurturing six weeks of my life.

Sincerely,

Caitlyn Johansen