In this episode of The Outlet, “Dancing Through Life,” hosts senior Kaelie Dieter and junior Avery Lurie interview freshman Josephine Taylor. Taylor is a competitive dancer and has been dancing for ten years. She began in kindergarten when her school had a mandatory dance program. She practices at Dreamers Dance Company in Dunedin. Taylor currently performs a duet with her twin sister, freshman Mallory Taylor. This is the twins’ first year at Shorecrest. Before performances, Taylor said she gets “so pumped up and excited,” however, she said she begins to feel nervous when it gets close to her time on stage. One time, at a rehearsal, she temporarily forgot her dance due to nerves. Taylor also participates in theater at Shorecrest, as her goal is to one day be in a Broadway show. In the short term, she aims to continue practicing dance and to be accepted into a college dance program. She said dance has taught her how to find confidence even when going through hard times. She said that it is very hard to dance if you do not feel confident in the moment. She said what makes the best dancers the best is having the mind of a dancer and being a good teammate. Taylor shared a chant that she used to do with her team before going on stage for competitions. She discussed the jealousy and comparisons that go on in rooms full of dance competitors. “It’s really hard just being a girl in high school who’s just trying to fit in,” she said. Taylor said one of her favorite dance memories is having a dance she choreographed chosen for young students to perform at her old school because she remembered wanting to do it as a young kid. The meaning of her dance was “mental health and watching someone who really struggles.”

Music by Remy DeParis’24