Being on the Woodland Dance team for three years, junior captain Annabell Duffany has gracefully taken on this new role.
Duffany has been dancing for thirteen years at her studio, Heart and Sole in Waterbury. She has experienced obstacles and inspirations that have led her into the dancer that she is today. Every win and loss has shaped her. One of these motivations are the girls that she danced with.
“Growing up, I’ve always danced with older girls, so they have always been my motivation to get where I am in my career now.”
Having a plethora of dance styles to choose from, Duany’s favorite style of dance is contemporary, as it is her strongest. Contemporary dance is a style of interpretive dance that embraces innovation, blending techniques from various genres including classical ballet, jazz, modern dance, and lyrical.
As captain, Duany is responsible for guiding and leading the twelve girls on the team. With this responsibility, there can be many ups and downs. Duany pushes through those ups and downs by communicating to her team, and letting them talk about what’s wrong or what’s bothering them.
Duany has collected many pieces of advice throughout her dance career. One of those pieces of advice being that:
“There should be no ‘on’ or ‘o’ days, as you should be training to be successful any and every time you dance.”
Another piece of advice that Duany has is catered towards the girls that want to try out for Woodland’s dance team, or anything in general.
“It can be nerve wracking and extremely overwhelming to try something new and to step out of your comfort zone, but that is where you grow the most,” said Duany. “ If you don’t step out of your comfort zone, or try any new experiences, you’re never going to grow.”
PHOTO CREDIT: @roguestudio1
