Abigail Reed followed her passion for dance to gain experience in training, and choreographing for young dancers in multiple dance genres.
How did you get your internship?
I attended Masters Upper Level Dance Studio in high school as a competitive dancer while also teaching some classes there including Baby Ballet and Junior Jazz. After graduating high school, I found myself going back to the studio every winter and summer break to train and teach. However, I was not planning on being a dance teacher for my internship experience until the Applied Humanities Internship Director (Stephanie Springer) suggested I explore the idea. She thought that if I was already planning on working at the studio this summer, then why not find a way to expand my skills and build my network so I could get internship credit for the experience.
In addition, I was already planning on doing a dance summer intensive in Chicago, called GUS College/Pro Intensive, leaving me with not enough time to complete the 120 hours of onsite experience at the studio. Once again, Stephanie Springer recommended that I combine these two experiences to make my summer internship. Therefore my primary experience was teaching and the secondary half was being taught, both of which provided me with valuable experience in training and choreography.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
At Masters Upper Level I did work such as teaching multiple different age level dancers multiple techniques, including ballet, jazz, leaps and turns, hip-hop, and contemporary. This also meant that I had to lesson plan, choreograph, and review my work before each class I taught. My lesson plans often included me leading a warmup, teaching across-the-floor combinations, and one center combination all with specific songs correlating to each exercise. Furthermore, I worked with dancers both in individual and group settings getting them prepared for national competition by reviewing their routines.
What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship selection and experience?
My experience was unique because I was able to expand on two things I was already planning on doing this summer to make them into an internship. This not only allowed me to be efficient with my time but also deepened my knowledge and understanding of two things I have been doing since high school: teaching, and training.
I also discovered new insights regarding my teaching habits that I would have never uncovered if I had not completed the PAH 493 Internship course 'Activity Journal.' For example, I noticed that I tend to push my students to get a new move or combination down in just one class, but journaling helped me realize that this is not a realistic mindset to have for my students nor a healthy one to have as a teacher--setting better expectations would help us both succeed. This journaling also helped me reflect on the 3 weeks I spent in Chicago at GUS training from a multitude of perspectives and teachers. I am glad I got to write down things about my time training so I remember the small, yet important, comments my teachers made.
What new skills did you practice, learn, or develop in this internship?
I gained many new transferable skills during both teaching and student portions of my internship. These skills include flexibility, adaptability, patience, and open-mindedness. I developed flexibility in times when there would be unexpected changes to the teaching schedule and to be adaptable in times when I created lesson plans for one level of dance experience that ended up being different at class time.
I developed a more physical version of adaptability through the process of learning 3 different versions of the same dance at the GUS intensive too. I also practiced the skill of patience when I had to learn how to communicate the standard of behavior I expected in my class to ensure everyone had a positive experience. Lastly, I demonstrated open-mindedness when my dance uniform took a complete turn while being at the Chicago intensive. We had to wear all black, fitted clothing, hair slicked the same way, makeup every day, and no jewelry or nail polish. I initially was not open to this idea of all of the intensive dancers looking completely the same, but I came to understand that this type of “uniform” served a larger purpose of dancers having a shared aesthetic.
What was your favorite part of your internship?
My favorite part of my internship was watching my students grow in just the short amount of time I trained them. I worked with a student one-on-one and seeing her progress each week amazed me. She took and applied each correction I gave her and even worked on her technique at home. Training this dancer was also meaningful to me because it reinforced my teaching abilities and that my words and actions do have an impact on my students. She even inspired me as a dancer myself to never stop learning and focusing on my training because there is always more to learn.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and begin their internship?
I encourage students to talk to the Applied Humanities Internship Team (Stephanie Springer and Brittney Crawford) because an internship opportunity may be right in front of you without you knowing. However, I also encourage them to step out of their comfort zone when finding an internship because that is the easiest way to learn more about yourself and what you want for your future. I advise students to over-communicate with their site supervisor as well to get the most out of their experience. This communication will help them feel prepared, comfortable, and productive while completing their internship.