Senior Spotlight: Caitlin
14 Years Dancing at Sharon's Studio of Dance & Music
I started at Sharon's Studio of Dance & Music back around 2005. The year before I had danced at another school, but they weren’t the right fit for me. When my family moved here to Whippany and my mom found Sharon’s nearby, she decided to try it out. I loved the place right away. Having a place like Sharon’s to go to on Saturday mornings, at the time, was really amazing because it felt like another family. I was able to do something that I’ve grown to love and meet people I am able to call my friends.
I started by doing ballet and tap. A few years later I did Irish step dance for one year and then after decided to do jazz. In middle school I decided to drop tap for two years to try musical theater. It was a fun class to take, but then I realized tap was more for me. Tap has become my favorite out of all the dance styles I’ve tried. All the people I’ve met over the years at Sharon’s really helped shaped me into the dancer I am today. We may have always had a new teacher each year or new people join the class, but that didn’t matter. All of us would instantly connect and then create a friendship that sometimes spreads outside of dance class which probably would have never happened if we didn’t meet in dance. Sharon’s is definitely one of my homes away from home. I lived most of my life once a week each year on a Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and maybe even a few other days in the different studios. I’ll surely miss this place, but my cousin still dances here so I will be able to come back and see the recitals and any old friends still here, every year in June.
Because of Sharon’s and the experiences it has given me, I’m considering continuing dance as a hobby in college if I’m able to. I don’t know if I’m ready to give up that part of my life yet. Being apart of something like dancing isn’t just another activity to do during your spare time. It’s something people are passionate about and to me it’s also become my family in a sense. Spending almost of a full year once a week with the same people really allows you to get to know a person, and I have Sharon’s to thank for all of that.
Caitlin will be attending The College of New Jersey for the fall semester of 2019! Good luck, Caitlin!