I feel like some of
my first experiences
with looking at
dance through
a less restrained
lens was through
Choreolab, with
Ms. Roth and Ms.
Spielman.
They allowed me, as a young Trevor
student and a baby 8th grader, to
choreograph my own dance piece
(to Fiona Apple) and dive more into
a less traditional movement style
than I was so accustomed to in ballet.
Through this experience at Trevor,
I was able to learn to express myself
with more fluidity and let go of my
inhibitions. I remember feeling so
free; within that, I found my love for
choreography and was led to explore
art in the future.
In college I dropped dance
and decided to give
photography a try.
I started with black-and-white film, quickly realizing that
I could bring my knowledge of form and beauty from
dance into creating compelling images. At this point I was
just beginning to find my voice as an artist, but was still
playing it safe. I honed my ability to showcase the beauty of
movement in still images, but avoided addressing identity.
I had been trained to express myself in such a narrow way
that the idea of letting go and embracing my queerness in
my art felt impossible and terrifying.
dance
64 / TREVOR MAGAZINE FALL 2024–25
