Dancers at LLA 8
By Noah Hernandez
Samantha Zane is a high school sophomore at Loma Linda Academy. When Zane was four years old, she began dancing ballet after her aunt and uncle enrolled her in a class. “They got me my first pair of ballet flats and everything else I needed to take dance lessons. They also paid for a whole month’s worth of class.” Although she enjoys various styles of dance such as hip hop, contemporary and modern, ballet remains Zane’s favorite. She is well versed in classical ballet, but within the genre of ballet there are different styles that Zane dances in, such as balanchine and vaganova.
Being a ballet dancer, Zane is no stranger to injuries. In an interview, she said, “Recently I’ve had really bad calf cramps due to Nutcracker and recent competitions.” Zane visits a massage therapist once a month and consumes foods high in magnesium and potassium to prevent any injuries.
Zane wants people to know that ballet is not just for women, but for men as well. “So many famous male celebrities that have done ballet like Tom Holland, The London Olympians football team, Christian Bale, and many more,” she said. Zane also says that she is open to helping out men interested in getting involved with the world of ballet.
Annelise Rigsby is a high school junior at Loma Linda Academy. Rigsby began dancing when she was twelve years old, which is considered a late time to start dancing. She began dancing because of what she was witnessing. When Rigsby saw how strong and athletic dancers were, she felt inspired to pick up the trade. Rigsby’s predominant style of dance is ballet, but she also enjoys practicing contemporary and lyrical dance as well. Her favorite performance was the Kids Artistic Revue, or KAR, dance competi-
tion. “I had just been moved to the advanced category. Even though I was scared to compete in a new category, when I got on that stage I forgot all of that stress and just danced.” Rigsby did so well that she got first in overall performance and a scholarship to return the following year. Isabella Fick is a high school freshman at Loma Linda Academy. Fick began dancing at age four when her parents saw how she danced around the house. They decided that putting Fick through dance classes would be good for her.
Fick’s dancing style is very technical. It is described as “Technical with athleticism, precision and attentiveness to musicality.” Fick has had many opportunities to showcase her dance, but her favorite was in 2018. On November 22, 2018, Fick was able to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
