Lauren Daniska is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Bethel High School who has been dancing since she was three. She has competed in over twenty competitions over the past eleven years. Dancing jazz, tap, lyric, modern and ballet at The Academy of Dance Arts for six nights a week, Daniska dreams of becoming a professional dancer. In a recent interview with Wildcat Word, Daniska talks about how she’s pursuing these dreams.

Wildcat Word: What do you enjoy about dancing?

Daniska: I love how I can choreograph my own pieces.

WW: Why did you start dancing?

Daniska: When I was three I had this dream of becoming a dancer and I asked my mom to enroll me and it’s history from there.

WW: Have you done any auditions outside of your studio?

Daniska: I auditioned for the Rocket Summer Intensive and I attended workshops for five years in New York City and I was assistant to the head Broadway producer of The Kid Who Played the Palace.

WW: Do you plan on pursuing dancing as a career?

Daniska: Yes, I want to be a professional dancer when I grow up, not positive of where I will work or what I’ll dance, but that’s definitely the direction I’m planning on heading.

WW: What awards have you won?

Daniska: I’ve won over 80 awards from having about four competitions a year, then every other year I do Nationals so depending on how many dances I do per competition is where my awards come from.

WW: How does dancing affect you outside of the studio?

Daniska: Well my life revolves around my dancing practices and competitions. I had to miss my friend’s sweet sixteen party for my audition for the Rocket Summer Intensive program. But, it’s all worth it in the end for me because that’s where my life is headed.

WW: Have you had any funny experiences while dancing?

Daniska: Once during Nationals I forgot the whole beginning of my dance and made one up on the spot, my teachers and fellow dancers found it hysterical, yet I still placed high. I also never know what to do with myself when we have breaks during holidays. It’s kinda sad that dance is my life.

WW: Have you had any jobs yet relating to dance?

Daniska: I assistant teach four classes and sometimes I sub for other classes. I also have choreographed smaller children’s dances that I watched them perform. My payments have been towards paying off my dance classes.

WW: What goals do you have for future?

Daniska: I plan on getting in to Marymount College in New York CIty and taking my career on from there. I want to have a name that will never be forgotten.