Fiona Russo has been a dancer at Absolute Dance School in Marlborough, MA for thirteen years and a student teacher for four years. Fiona takes six classes: hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, pointe and ballet. She teaches three classes: ballet, tap,  and jazz and hip-hop for students of ages ranging from six to eleven. She is a junior at Nashoba, and she goes to her studio four to five days a week after school.

Fiona has very tight-knit studio, where all of the girls are friends. One of the best part of Fiona’s studio is it is a “safe haven” where dancers can “talk about anything they want.” Nanci Buchan, Fiona’s teacher, gives her constant personal and dance advice. Nanci says Fiona “gives one hundred and ten percent and her hard work and dedication to dance makes all the little kids look up to her as a role model. You can really see the passion she has for dance. Not only is she a really good dancer, but you can also see her emotion and personality through her dancing and she never gives up.” As Nanci points out, dancing is so much more to Fiona than just an exercise; it is an inspiration and it is a way for Fiona to share her emotions with the world.

Fiona says dancing is “the best way to forget about my stressful day.” After a long day at school, she can forget about her worries and just enjoy time doing what she loves with people she loves. Whenever she has a problem, she knows “going to the studio makes [her] feel so much better.” Dance is an “outlet for emotional expression” (Healey).

Fiona is on the ADS dance team, started by Nanci Buchan. The team has won 3 High Gold medals, 3 Gold and 2 First place overall placements in their first year of competition. The competition was a great experience for Fiona, and it helped improve her skills. The competition gives them a chance to see how other team’s dance and how the ADS team can improve. Fiona says it is “scary when other teams are very competitive.” However, the ADS team is just at competitive.

Fiona’s friends at her studio are like family to her. One of Fiona’s closest friends, whom she has known since she was three years old, says “Fiona is a very inspirational dancer. Whenever she walks into the dance studio, she is so happy and ready to work hard. Whenever she has to miss dance-which never happens-class is never the same. In class, Fiona is funny and so friendly. Most of all, it is hard to keep your eyes off her because of how beautiful she is, whether she is dancing or not.”

Fiona’s mom says that “every time Fiona dances, you can tell that she is letting everything go.” As Ms. Gomez states, she knows her daughter is often stressed dance is very helpfu to Fiona. School and personal life would be so much more stressful if Fiona did not have dance to take her mind off of it.

Fiona spends hours dancing and she says “my hard work always pays off, even when my feet are bruised or cramping.” She is not one to give up. Dance is a substantial part of her life and will remain that way. Even at Fiona’s advanced level, there is always more for her to learn and experiment with. Fiona is an inspiration and role model to the younger girls. Her help is very valuable to them and her personality makes it fun for them. She is very patient and helpful and always there when they need help. Dancing is Fiona’s greatest passion and she puts her all into it, no matter what kind of day she is having. Fiona wholeheartedly loves dance, and she is someone who is lucky to have found something she is so passionate about.