The Student Lens: The Teresa Interview

By: Coral Barnes

Hello, Everyone, and welcome back to the Student Lens. Today, I will be featuring the insanely talented dancer Teresa. Teresa has been a consistent dancer and attendee at Elemental Studios and recently joined the official Elemental Studios team.

Like many of the students at Elemental Studios, Teresa has shown her power, determination, confidence, and charming personality to create her one-of-a-kind dance style. She has recently joined the Elemental Studios team and assisted with K-pop with Nicki and Beginner Reggaeton class with Rocio. Teresa is also a member of the incredible Colorado K-pop Dance Crew, Illuminate Dance Crew.

Today, I interviewed Teresa to talk about her dance journey and also to ask some questions about her as a student at Elemental Studios. So, let’s get into the questions!

How did you start your dance journey?

Teresa: “I began dancing on my own at the age of 13, but I didn’t truly begin my journey until around COVID because I was experiencing severe depression at the time, to the point where I attempted suicide. I started looking for dance classes after feeling that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and that everyone else seemed to have a plan for the future. I eventually found a studio called GVM, and I began taking dancing more seriously and used it as a method to unwind from everything.”

What is one fun fact that you would love for us to know about yourself?

Teresa: “One fun fact about me is that I am a really big JDM fan and my dream car is a Nissan GT-R r35.”

Do you have any advice for dancers coming to Elemental Studios for the first time?

Teresa: “My advice for dancers coming to Elemental for the first time is not to have high expectations of yourself when taking a class. We are all here to learn, grow, and support each other, so don’t get discouraged and have fun.”

What classes are you currently enjoying that you have gone to at Elemental Studios?

Teresa: “The classes I’m currently enjoying are Hip-Hop, contemporary, reggaeton, heels, and femme. Although yes, I have taken almost every class, but I still need to try shuffle, and Open Level Twerk hopefully soon.”

Where have you seen yourself improve in your dance journey since attending Elemental Studios?

Teresa: “I’ve seen myself improve a lot in my dancing journey since I started working at Elemental as a work-study.”

Who are some of your favorite dancers in the dance community?

Teresa: “My favorite dancers are Bada Lee and Mina Myoung. I grew up watching Mina’s videos on YouTube for 1Million Dance Studio, and that’s where I knew I wanted to take dance classes at a studio; she sparked my interest in dance.”

What are some activities that you enjoy doing outside of dance?

Teresa: “Some activities that I enjoy doing outside of dance are hanging out with friends, staff activities at Elemental, and some arts & crafts.”

What made you come to Elemental Studios?

Teresa: “Actually, I’ve been with Elemental Studios since day one, I was there for the first grand opening party and since then I’ve been going to Elemental.”

Who are some of your favorite music artists right now?

Teresa: “Some of my favorite music artists are Maria Becerra, Feid, Rauw Alejandro, Young Miko, Billie Eilish, SZA, Rosalia, BROCKHAMPTON, Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, and J. Cole..and many more but those are my top right now.”

Where do you see yourself in a few years in your dance journey?

Teresa: “My goal for the next few years of my dance career is to teach at Elemental, earn a degree in dance therapy, travel, and train at various dance studios across the country or state.”

Thank you to Teresa for taking the time to interview with me and answer these questions! I hope you guys enjoyed getting to know her.