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By Paolo Aragona

For some 20-something year old college graduates who have juggled dance and other academic pursuits, this question often comes up-

“Will I continue to dance after college?”

For some, entering the “real world” and all its increased responsibilities and time commitments means…

Wow. It was great seeing this article on my news feed. The question posed here deals with something I currently struggle with. When I graduated college a few years back, it was in my mind set to begin my professional career in accounting, which is what I finished in my undergrad studies. I danced all through college with my college team but, stopped for a year to pursue and advance my accounting career. A few months after graduating I was fortunate enough to land a job with my accounting firm I’m currently with and things were great. I was working, developing my professional career and making a honest living. But, deep down something always felt missing. I know that sounds cliché but it really is true. I missed dance. All the early mornings and late nights at work made me realize how much I missed it. A few months into working I started to take classes in New York, at first, just to get back into it again. That was when I found RiSE Dance Company. Now, looking back I didn’t realize then how much dance would come rushing back into my life but I am sure glad I stepped into that first RiSE class over a year ago. I went from over a year of not dancing, to taking classes, joining the dance companies team and even teaching my own classes for RiSE. in the past year I gained a family, a studio, friends that will always have my back, friends in the dance community, my students and most of all, i gained my dance life back. To think that all this happened in such a short amount of time is crazy AND through all this I still work as a financial consultant for a New York City Government Agency, ACS. Balancing my professional life and my dance life has always been difficult and I’ve faced lots of set backs. BUT for those of you have do have that burning PASSION to keep dancing, those people WILL FIND A WAY. It is not impossible but it does take time focus and making the right decisions to keep it all going. It’s difficult but that’s because if you love it enough, it’s worth it.

funkanometryny:

Allison “Allibon” Vicencio is a former gymnast and cheerleader from Chino Hills. She discovered her love for hip-hop dancing in high school, where she directed her class rally competitions. She was later accepted into UC Irvine—her first choice college due in large part to Kaba Modern….