Many know friends or a relative that are capable of dancing, but only one type of style such as hip hop, jazz or others. Not many know a friend that can dance three different styles of dancing, but senior Claire Taylor has that unique ability. She is a talented and passion driven person that wants to keep dancing the night away.

Taylor found her passion for dancing at the age of 7 when she first saw her older sister, Grace, dancing at Angie’s Procopio Dance Studio. She viewed her as a remodel and wanted to be able to dance just like her. Taylor then joined the studio at the age of seven with other young girls and started right away.

Every week she would go to the studio and practice for hours upon hours. She was always tired by the end of every practice, but loved the adrenaline that filled up her body, and wanted to learn more. Her dance coach, Angie, taught Taylor three different styles of dances, ballet, tap and jazz dancing.

Tap dancing, consists of constant fast-paced foot work so Taylor has always stay on top of her toes on all times. Jazz is more of tap and ballet mixed together, having the fast pace footwork of tap, and the movements of ballet where it consist of twirls and other flexible moves.

“Tap and jazz dancing are dances I do enjoying doing, but require more concentration,” Taylor said. “Especially like how you need to pay attention where your feet land and to stay in your area and to not bump into others while preforming.”

Throughout the twelve years she has been at the studio, Taylor’s favorite out of the three dances was always ballet.

“It is a way of expressing myself, and by dancing it just like transfers me to an alternative universe,” Taylor said. “The movements that we do and the melody of the song when I’m dancing is just the best.”

Taylor enjoys the slow, relaxing music she gracefully dances to. Of course, there is its fair share of sweat and soreness that comes from the constant practice she goes through before performing at the Orpheum Theater, but at the end to the performance, it is all worth it. She savors the moment when the crowd cheers for them. Taylor cannot describe the sense of pride and accomplishment that fills up her body whenever she performs.

“It is the best feeling I could ever experience,” Taylor said. “This is one of the reason why I keep striving to continue on and to do more.”

After Taylor graduates from high school, she plans to continue dancing in the studio, but may not go down this path as a career. She will however follow her passion for dancing on the side when into college. She loves feeling of being free and able to express herself that she cannot do at work or at home. Whenever she is dancing or performing, she releases this energy of colors, showing the great passion she has for dancing.