Everything Good in My Life Comes from Music & Dance

I've been doing lots of introspection about the roles that music and dance have played in my life and my heart is full of joy and gratitude. I never intended to do anything professionally with them, but I'm one of the most passionate amateur musicians and dancers you'll ever meet! God has been so good to me and I love seeing how He has both led me to blessings through music and dance, and rewarded my decisions/efforts through music and dance. 

WAYS GOD HAS BLESSED ME THROUGH DANCE & MUSIC

Joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2006)

• Ballroom dance - The Pacific Ballroom Dance Company near my hometown of Federal Way, Washington was founded and managed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and most of the students were members of The Church. They performed a couple of numbers at my junior year high school talent show in 2005. I was BLOWN AWAY. It looked so glamorous and fun, I'd never seen anything like it outside of the classic old Hollywood musicals I'd been obsessed with since junior high. I begged my parents to let me join the Company my senior year and I got to know a lot of members of the Church who seemed genuine, nice, and happy. 
• Concert & Jazz choirs - My interest in jazz music started with my obsession with old Hollywood musicals and the popular music of early-mid 20th century America. I started trying to learn to sing along and play the songs on the piano. I'd heard my high school Jazz Choir perform at assemblies and they were the most selective choir that regularly toured the West Coast and won awards. So I started with Concert Choir (bigger and less selective) my junior year and got into Jazz Choir my senior year. There were many members of The Church in the choirs, including one I had a big crush on who also happened to be in the top team at Pacific Ballroom. When my gymnastics friend invited me to Church, I found out he went to the same congregation as her so I happily went. He ended up marrying another ballroom friend but I fell in love with the gospel of Jesus Chris and got baptized on my 18th birthday. 

Jazz Choir performing at graduation (2nd from right)

Going to Brigham Young University (2006) & getting scholarships

• Ballroom dance - Since all the Pacific Ballroom instructors graduated from BYU's ballroom program - the biggest and best collegiate program in the world - I obviously had to go there and learn for myself. Sure, BYU provides a rigorous high quality education in many fields and has a wonderfully wholesome environment built on the standards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I didn't come to appreciate those until after I arrived on campus. My main objective was to get the best ballroom dance education I could (and find a husband, see more about that below) and I did. I was able to take 34 dance classes which included almost 4 years performing on the ballroom company, compete in Dancesport, and volunteer as a teaching assistant for social dance classes. I also earned some small dance scholarships thanks to generous dance alumni. 

My first semester on the ballroom team (far right)

Meeting my now-husband John (2018)

• BYU Ballroom Dance Company - I always hoped I'd meet my future husband through dance at BYU, and I did but I didn't know it! John and I were on the same team for 1 year but never danced with each other or really even talked to each other because we were always assigned to different routines (he to Standard dances, me to Latin dances). We both graduated in 2011 and moved to opposite coasts for grad school, then different states for work afterwards, but got reacquainted on our college campus in Utah serendipitously (or I'd like to think through providence) during the week of my 30th birthday in 2018. God has a sense of humor and impeccable planning!
• Salsa dancing - I wanted to go salsa dancing on my birthday but couldn't find anyone to go with me so when I ran into him, I randomly invited him to come later that night even though I couldn't really imagine him salsa dancing and didn't expect him to say yes, but he accepted and asked for my number. I immediately didn't want to seem like I was asking him on a date so I gave it to him but said I'd meet him there. He showed up and actually danced! We caught up a bit on life and he walked me to my car.
• CNCO lyrics - He was due to return to Texas in 2 days so I didn't expect anything to come of our meeting but I asked him to help me learn the lyrics to a song by the Latin boy band I was obsessed with because he has 2 degrees in Spanish. He agreed and asked me to meet up for frozen custard that night and I thought "why not?" Not knowing it'd turn out to be a date! But he did teach me the lyrics, which he was somewhat scandalized by haha. 
• Dance cruise - 2 months later, we'd been getting to know each other thru texting and I was curious to see him again but didn't know how to arrange it without seeming forward because I was still dating other guys trying to find a husband. I'd bought tickets to Aventura Latin dance cruise 6 months earlier which was leaving from Orange County, California to Mexico. I bought return tickets a day after the cruise ended because it was cheaper and was trying to figure out how to make the most of that time. It turned out that John had lived there for graduate school and had lots of family/friends there and I dropped the idea that it'd be fun if he could be my tour guide, and he agreed to meet me out there for a day! We had dinner with his aunt and uncle where he sang while I accompanied on piano. I was shocked and excited but trying to play it cool and not expect anything but it became the turning point in our relationship and I told my friend after I got back that "I think I just spent the weekend with my future husband." I was absolutely amazed by God's advanced planning to have us meet up during these very brief windows, all because I love music and dancing. We got married 7 months later...

Seems very appropriate that my first cruise was a Latin dance one

Lifelong friends

• Jazz choirs, ballroom dance teams/socials/classes/camps/cruise - I try to make collect friends wherever I go, but it's obviously easier to deepen friendships when you see someone regularly doing something you both love! So many of my close friends are from dance and music experiences. And even though most of us have entered a different stage of life - from carefree single adventurous partiers to busy parents/spouses - our ties endure, and hopefully we can reconnect through music and dance again in the future. 

WAYS GOD HAS REWARDED ME WITH MUSIC & DANCE

Teaching

I'm a teacher at heart. I work hard to learn knowledge and skills in things I'm passionate about, and I love sharing them with others. In all the places I've lived since college (Utah, DC, NYC, Texas), I've had opportunities to teach couples or classes basic dance steps and techniques. They've all been one-time or short term lessons; I haven't had the interest, time, or opportunities to teach permanently thus far and that's ok with me. 

• Utah @ BYU - I volunteered as a teaching assistant for 3 social dance classes in the evenings.
• DC - Offered dance classes at the ward service auction and taught swing, foxtrot & cha cha at the church building.
• NYC - Was asked to teach the National Dance Day hip hop routine for Family Home Evening at the church building. Traded waltz lessons for guitar accompaniment and conga drum lessons with Columbia music education students. Also offered dance classes at the ward service auction and taught waltz.
• Texas - Was invited to teach Latin dance classes (salsa, bachata, rumba, cha cha, samba) for the women's organization at church in 2 congregations.
  

  

  I got the chance to take a conga lesson in exchange for teaching waltz in NYC. 

  
  

  

  One of the Latin dance classes I taught the women at church in Texas

Performing

I've always taken opportunities to perform because I like getting just outside my comfort zone and practicing to get it as close to perfection as I can, which is always very far off. I'm really not the best performer but I enjoy it so much and I feel like it improves my skills each time.  

• Utah @ BYU - As a student, lots of performances on and off campus with the ballroom dance team over 4 years, and at every church talent show. I've also sang at BYU's Got Talent and with BYU's jazz choir on campus. As a full-time employee, open mic nights at the campus cafe and friend's house parties. 

  

  BYU's ballroom teams performed at the Homecoming parade each year :)

  
  

  

  I got to perform with the BYU Vocal Jazz Ensemble for a year

  
  
• DC - Broadway dance camp at Joy of Motion Dance Center and National Dance Day at the Kennedy Center.
• NYC - With a salsa dance group at Alvin Ailey Studios. Piano/voice at church talent shows & Christmas concert, nightclub open mic nights at nightclubs and friends' apartments, and Columbia's Music Education Department recitals every semester. I also lipsynced a rap at a church showcase haha.  

  

  I played piano jazz versions of Christmas songs at my church concert

  
  
• Texas - Piano solo and choir accompaniment at church Christmas programs. 

Graduate School Jobs

• Proximity to concert hall - When I was working on my first 2 masters programs at George Washington University (I dropped out of both), I found a full-time job on campus with tuition benefits. Campus happened to be a 10 minute walk from the gorgeous John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts which had daily free concerts after work! I walked to many performances there, paid and free. 
• Musical benefits - When I was admitted into my 3rd masters program at Columbia University (which I completed!), I needed another full-time job on campus that offered tuition benefits and a flexible schedule so I could take classes during the day. God had delivered before at GWU, so I was praying for another miracle. Not only did He grant my prayers, He went above and beyond by giving me a job in the Music Education department amongst passionate musicians where I managed over a dozen Steinway pianos I was free to play on (and recorded dozens of Youtube covers), jammed with other musicians, got free singing lessons, performed in recitals each semester, and did my first paid performances in the hallway. I was blown away all the time by God's generosity. I grew so much as a musician during those 2 years working as a secretary. 

Moving to DC 

• Jazz clubs - One of the main reasons I chose DC for graduate school was its rich jazz music history. It has a substantial African American population from the Great Migration of the early 20th century, which helped carry jazz from its Southern origins in New Orleans. As an American history and music nerd, I loved living there for 2 years. 



Bohemian Cavern was definitely my favorite. Sadly it closed in 2016 after 90 years.



• National Dance Day - While walking through the National Mall one hot summer day, I stumbled upon a small pop-up stage of dance performances celebrating National Dance Day! I was shocked I'd never heard of it and learned that it was a new holiday proposed by congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Then I found that the Dizzy Feet Foundation put out a simple routine every year for people to learn around the country and share their versions on social media. I participated in 2013 (Lincoln Memorial), 2014 (Coney Island), 2015 (Columbia University), 2016 (Van Cortland Park). In 2013, I got to perform a Broadway dance routine at Kennedy Center during the National Dance Day festival!

One of my proudest most surreal dance performances - a simple routine in scorching heat

• New genres - I wanted to explore types outside of the partner dances I'd learned in college (ballroom, swing, salsa, country) and was happy to try hip hop, capoeira, African, Motown, Broadway, and blues dancing at different studios in DC. I chronicled all my experiences in my dance blog. Some of them were fun and freeing, others were humbling and stressful. But I love getting outside my comfort zone and growing as a dancer. 
• Summer Stock - Feeling so adult, I used my vacation days to take a whole week off for a dance camp at the Joy of Motion Dance Center. I was so excited to dedicate all day everyday to learning a couple routines from real Broadway shows, neither of which I had seen nor was interested in (Kinky Boots & Pippin) but I'd always wanted to try musical theater. We performed them at the end of the week at the showcase for all the dance camps at the studio, and I was grateful to the couple friends who came to support. 

Moving to NYC

Growing up watching movies and old musicals, New York City was where all the excitement and adventure happened. I was finally ready to live there myself after 2 years in DC and I wanted to soak up as much culture, diversity, and history before I settled down in marriage and parenthood. And I'm so glad I did!

• Broadway - I'd only been to NYC once growing up, and only for a day or so in 7th grade before I became fascinated by all it had to offer. My enchantment with musical theater was one of the reasons I moved there for graduate school and I've gone to 24 Broadway musicals since! I also took dozens of Broadway dance classes at various studios throughout Manhattan, particularly the Ailey Extension and Broadway Dance Center from experienced dance teachers - inspiring and intimidating, empowering and humbling. 

  

  One of my favorite old movie musicals was revived on Broadway in 2015!

  
  
• Salsa, swing & hustle dance clubs - I discovered Latin social dancing my first year at BYU and learned that NYC was where the dance form - like swing and hustle - was created in the melting pot of the city. I wanted to dance with the best social dancers in the places where these genres were created. Many clubs had long since closed down but there was still a thriving scene that I reveled in between working full-time, going to grad school part-time, church activities, and dating! 



I performed in a salsa intensive at Alvin Ailey Studios my 1st summer in NYC



• Jazz music - NYC is obviously a huge arts capital for many genres of music, and I was most attracted to jazz, particularly in connection with African American history. I wanted to explore the historic neighborhood of Harlem, where my church building happened to be, and the famous old haunts downtown. I got to go to the small holes in the wall like the Village Vanguard and the grand theaters like Carnegie Hall, from historic haunts like the Apollo Theater to sparkling new venues like Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was such a rich period of music immersion in my life. 

  

  Went to Radio City Music Hall for multiple shows including the Rockettes - probably my favorite venue
  
  

• Dance Parades - Every May, I went downtown to watch the most amazing collection of dancers from all cultures, ages, and genres dance down the street. 
• Meeting Annie Ross - I went to 36 concerts in NYC in venues of all sizes and ages, but it was a special treat getting to talk to and meet a couple of famous musicians I'd admired for years. For example, I talked to the legend Annie Ross, age 85 (died at 90), in the lobby of the Metropolitan Room (now closed) when we both came early for her intimate performance. I asked her what she liked to do besides sing and she said cook! 

  

  One of the many surreal NYC moments I had *pinching myself in case I'm dreaming*

  
  
• Music friends - While working as a secretary at Columbia's Music Education program, I loved getting to know the musician students, some of whom would generously agree to jam with me (play their instrument while I sang or played piano) and invite me to their shows off campus. A few of the alumni had formed a jazz trio that performed on a little boat cruise around Manhattan and they got me on for free a couple times! They also accompanied the New York University Gospel Choir, which music I LOVED.  

  

  Water + jazz + new friends = JOY

  
  

  

  Can't deny the electrifying power of a gospel choir

  
  
• Open Mic Nights - At some point, I decided to brave performing my piano/vocal covers in front of a live audience instead of just to my phone camera for Youtube or busy passersby in the Columbia University hallways, so I looked up bars that held open mic nights and signed up for a couple. It was not spectacular but I loved pushing myself this way. 

Moving back to Utah

After 3.5 years living my dream in NYC, I decided I needed to move back to Utah.

• Social Dance 480 - I got a full-time job at BYU and loved being back on the bustling campus of my alma mater. One of the many benefits was being able to take classes for free! I still looked like a student so I could blend in but always felt awkward when people asked me my major and I had to tell them I'm a full-time staff advisor. As a student majoring in American Studies, I took 34 dance classes. My favorite was advanced social dancing which had different dances and routines every semester, so I decided to take that again with my former coach. It was so fun!
• Winning 1st place in Hustle at Dancesport - I've never been an excellent dancer, just a very passionate and enthusiastic one. But the semester I took Social Dance 480 was the US National Amateur Dancesport Championships that was held on campus every year, and we WON! I'd lucked out with a hardworking and fun partner and we'd practiced hours outside of class to perfect our routine and lead/follow. I've only gotten a couple participation trophies in the past and was astounded to get 1st place with my partner who was equally thrilled. I thought it was a bit unfair because I'd actually had a lot of real hustle dancing experience in NYC at nightclubs with excellent hustle dancers, while all the other student competitors had only spent a couple months practicing it in class with each other, but I wasn't going to give up my trophy! 

  

  Another dance highlight of my life!

Finding my husband

After I left college unmarried, I gave up hope of finding anyone who shared my interests/knowledge/abilities in ballroom dance, much less jazz music. Those are just not common things people of my generation are into! But God surprised me once again with John.

• Jazz aficionado - John played in jazz band growing up and has a deep knowledge and appreciation for jazz music. It's one of the genres we agree on. I've never met another non-professional musician who knows more artists and songs than I do! A live jazz band was one of our must-haves at our wedding, and we were able to hire a mutual ballroom dance friend to sing. 
• Performing ballroom dance - We got to perform a foxtrot to the live band at our wedding. And perform a waltz at my aunt's 75th birthday party the same year, using steps we'd refreshed in the Social Dance 380 dance we took together at BYU when he also got a job on campus. God is amazing! 

Becoming a mother

Being a mom is by far the hardest job I've ever had, and I've had more than 20. To my wonderful surprise, my toddler loves music and dance as much as I do!

• Singing - She sings nonstop and learns songs super fast. Once she learns it, she'll start changing the lyrics to make herself and us laugh. 
• Dancing - She loves to dance and I put her in dance classes as soon as she turned 2. 

Basically, I know that God cares about our individual unique interests and talents. If we stay close to Him and counsel with Him about big life decisions, He will guide us to great joy. He has given us talents to enjoy and to bless others, and He will also bless us with our talents. I look forward to what else He has in store...