Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I was a shy kid. I didn’t have a stellar self-esteem or body image, but when I was on stage dancing, I felt strong and confident.’

Great River

“I was a shy kid. I didn’t have a stellar self-esteem or body image, but when I was onstage dancing, I felt strong and confident. I was raised in Salt Lake City, where my parents put me in dance school at 6. When my buddy was starting gymnastics, I told my parents I wanted to start gymnastics, too. They couldn’t afford both, so I chose gymnastics. I came back to dance in high school and loved it. My dance teacher taught us many genres and brought in guest artists, exposing us to greatness. She told me I should audition for a University of Utah scholarship, so I chose my own music and choreographed and prepared my own solo. Going through that audition made me realize, ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ I got my BFA in modern dance. When I graduated, I visited my aunt in Alaska. I showed up at the Alaska Dance Theatre one day, and they asked me to audition for the company and teach for a semester. I ended up living there for five years.

My experiences have taught me to be more confident in myself. I’ve grown professionally and developed a skill set I never imagined.

“Being a big fish in a little pond gave me confidence for when I was ready to move to Manhattan. I came to New York with a map and guidebook to go to studios and classes. I eventually got teaching gigs. My goal was to become part of a modern dance company. I had an epiphany: In all of this there is a place where I fit. I met Amanda Selwyn when she was looking for a choreographer’s collective; later, we became a nonprofit company. Now it’s the Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre! It’s an exciting achievement to be a founding member of a dance company. I was teaching as a visiting artist all over, so I went back to school to get my MA in phys ed and my teacher certification.

“I taught on Coney Island for 10 years before getting a call from Long Island High School for the Arts, where I now teach dance and phys ed classes. Arts education is so important because as artists we train, and we have a vocabulary and history. The arts teach life skills, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, overcoming failure, strategizing, grit and work ethic. I love the pride and glow you see in students when they are dancing. My experiences have taught me to be more confident in myself. I’ve grown professionally and developed a skill set I never imagined.”