18 Oct Hanna Goldberg, Rugcutterz Alumni
Meet Hanna Goldberg, she is our January Alumnus from Rugcutterz Danz Artz. Passionate and enthusiastic about dance, Hanna applied her knowledge and techniques learned from Rugcutterz to succeed as a dancer with her own team throughout her Bachelor studies/ She is now pursuing her studies in Medicine at the University of Toronto.
How Long Have You Been Dancing at Rugcutterz?
Hanna: So I started dancing when I was 2 and a-half years old, and then I started at Rugcutterz when the studio opened, when I was about 10. And then I also danced at school in my undergrad.
What Do You Like Most About Dance?
Hanna: I guess I really love the team environment and be able to come to a place with all of your friends to do what you love, and forget about all the stresses that you have during the week and just have fun.
Is That What You Like Most About Rugcutterz?
Hanna: It was amazing, I loved coming to dance, I loved the family environment and I made such good friends here and we basically spent all of our time together throughout high school, so it was a lot of fun.
Do You Have Any Favourite Moments from Where You Were Dancing At Rugcutterz?
Hanna: I don’t know if I have just one, but I loved I guess when we would stay super late working on choreography and all go over to one person’s house, usually my house, and we would eat pizza and have a sleepover and then be back at dance in the morning. So I loved doing that and spending all my time with my dance friends.
What Was Your Most Memorable Dance Routine?
Hanna: I think that my favourite would be a dance called “The U.” It was a contemporary dance that we did in my last year and it was a lot of fun. I loved the choreography, we performed at The Pulse and at the ACE Awards, and we all loved it.
What Was Your Last Dance Recital Like?
Hanna: So last recital was sad but at the same time it was a really great experience. We all made a dance, like a goodbye dance and we loved making up that dance and performing it. So, it was really sad, but it was a really great experience.
What Was The Hardest Thing About Leaving Rugcutterz?
Hanna: The hardest thing was I think mostly being the change of not being with my dance friends all the time and also we were at dance almost everyday learning choreography, it was like one of our favourite things to do, so I guess not being able to do that anymore and sort of like leaving.
Do You Still Dance?
Hanna: So we made our own dance team with a few of the Rugcutterz graduates and also our other friends that went to other dance studios, and then we actually started a dance team and that that went on for 3 years and now that we’ve graduated, the dance team is still going. We are really proud of that. We would compete against other universities in Ontario, so it was a lot of fun. It was like we carried on what we were doing in high school to undergrad also.
Has Dance Helped You Overcome Any Challenges?
Hanna: I would definitely say so, dance taught me a lot about discipline and teamwork, and determination. So, every time that I am faced with a challenge I’m sure I apply a lot of the things that I’ve learnt in dance to those situations.
Do You Have Any Words of Advice for Kids That Want To Become Dancers?
Hanna: For any kids that are dancing or are thinking about dancing, just to appreciate all the time that they have in elementary school and high school because it’s something really special to be able to dance.