Name: Rhea Pradeep

Grade: 12 

Fine Art: dance 

Years of Experience: 12 years 

Wingspan: When and why did you start dancing?

Pradeep: “I started dancing when I was five and I started because it was something that really caught my interest and I guess as a kid it helped me express myself better.”

Wingspan: What style of dance did you begin with and do you still perform that today?

Pradeep: “I started with Bharatanatyam, which is an Indian classical dance and yes, I still perform it. I’ve been doing Bharatanatyam for over 12 years now.”

Wingspan: How does dance help you express yourself? What has it taught you about yourself?

Pradeep: “Dance has really helped me express myself, if I’m feeling really overwhelmed or too stressed out about schoolwork or something, I like to dance because it just helps me calm down and it’s also taught me a lot of things like patience and perseverance because Bharatanatyam can be really hard sometimes so you need to be really patient and you need to really do a lot of practice so I think that’s helped me a lot in schoolwork as well because you know practice makes perfect.”

Wingspan: Could you describe a performance that meant a lot to you?

Pradeep: “I think for me, a dance performance that really meant a lot was last year when we did spring show in school. It was really fun because we had worked on the choreography for the entire year and I also got to perform it with my friends and it also means a lot because it was junior year and this year‘s spring show is gonna be my last in high school, so I think that’s why it meant a lot because it really hits you like ‘oh my god, I’m about to graduate.’”

Wingspan: Do you prefer dancing solo or as a group?

Pradeep:  “I honestly prefer dancing in a group because I like being around people and it’s really fun to have others opinions when learning a choreography or essentially making your own choreography and it’s also a great way to make friends.”

Wingspan: What advice would you give to someone who is considering joining dance?

Pradeep:  “Advice I would give someone who’s considering joining dance is that it’s gonna be really fun at first, you get to learn a lot of new things but it’s also gonna be really hard. Sometimes it honestly doesn’t matter which type of dance it is. It’s supposed to be fun but you’re also supposed to put effort into it, so I think as long as you practice and as long as you have fun, you’re going to enjoy it and it’s gonna be a really great experience and you get to make really good friends, especially if you’re doing it in school! I’ve made some really good friends from being in dance all four years of high school and it’s honestly my favorite class ever, the teachers are great and it’s a really great place to foster your relationships and you can also join NHSDA, the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. I’m also the secretary for NHSDA this year so it was really amazing and I’m honestly so glad I was able to do all of this. It means a lot.”