"I Like To Cut" and other ways to dance

photo by Spenser Dugal

Meet Jacqui.

I should include a brief disclaimer here; Jacqui is one of my best friends. In high school it was basically like this; if you knew me, you knew Jacqui.

But the fact that we've always been close hasn't blinded me to her talent, nor does it nullify my belief in her talent.

I'll give you an example.

Jacqui came to visit me several weeks ago, and proudly displayed her newly developed YouTube channel with a single video on it. It was of an assignment she had for dance class, a "text solo" in which she had to choreograph a dance while simultaneously speaking a monologue about a childhood memory.
Jacqui chose to do her solo based upon a time when she was five years old and cut all of her brother's hair off because "all her Barbies were bald."

Jacqui slipped on her first pair of ballet slippers at the wee age of three. I went to many of Jacqui's

Jacqui starting dancing when
she was 3 years old.

dance recitals over the years. I remember sleeping over her house during recital time; carving out a space to sleep among the costumes, makeup boxes and the seemingly never ending pairs of tights. 

I always knew she was a good dancer. But I didn't realize HOW good. After watching her text solo, I was beyond impressed with my best friend; with how she used voice, facial expressions, and movement to communicate a childhood memory.

I was really proud. And I know Jacqui was too, even if she's not the type to openly boast about how freakin' awesome it was.

Through middle and high school, Jacqui always danced. But as a student at a performing arts school, instead of pointe shoes, she carried around camera equipment. Storyboards in place of leotards. Excel spreadsheets stuffed into her backpack where you might have expected to find bobby pins. Jacqui majored in communications, specializing in film, graphic design, and was a vital member of our yearbook staff.

But moving onto college, despite her skill in all of these areas, she knew her passion lay in dance. Her decision to pursue it, however, wasn't without it's challenges. Jacqui feels there's a lot of misconception about dancers, especially that dancers aren't as smart as engineering or psychology majors. In reality, however, she claims that belief is far from the truth. She thinks many dancers have plenty of other interests and capabilities in other areas, but simply choose dance instead.

"I had many career path options to take out of high school. Business. Medical. I wanted to be in marketing for a while, then I wanted to be a forensic pathologist and go into criminology," she said. 
"I chose dance because I couldn't live without it. Dancers have so much awareness of their own body, mind, the world around them, cause and effect, professionalism, and understanding of the way people function on an anatomical level and a mental level. I feel like dance has taught me so many things about myself and this world that would have taken me decades to figure out by another medium."

She now attends the University of South Florida in Tampa where she majors in dance studies.

photo by leanna scachetti

 Right now, Jacqui is preparing to dance in two pieces in USF's spring dance concert; a contemporary pointe piece by faculty member Paula Nunez. She's also re-staging a professional piece called "Lucifer's Prance" by choreographer Robert Moses.
 "That piece was an amazing opportunity and crazy awesome experience to work with Robert Moses for a couple days," said Jacqui.

Jacqui will also be competing in the American College Dance Festival in March in Georgia. Judges there will then decide which dances will perform in the final gala, and which will continue to the national division. On top of all that, Jacqui is rehearsing for two student choreographed works to the Student Dance Production on campus. She also teaches dance at a local studio. On her own, she is working on projects for her choreography class, which, hearkening back to her high school days, is a way for Jacqui to incorporate two loves of hers; dance and film.

Jacqui displays an arabesque at the Empire
State Building in NYC.

"Dance on film is interesting too because you control what the audience sees and doesn't see based on the frame of the camera as well as the use of editing, which can enhance a work to a whole different dimension. I'm just starting to dive into that kind of work and I have a few ideas I want to play with on my spare time." 

After she dons the cap and gown, Jacqui wants to work her way up to join a contemporary ballet or modern company. She counts the Spellbound Contemporary Ballet in Italy, Celli Contemporary Ballet in Italy,  and Robert Moses Kin in California as among her dream companies.

But if it doesn't work like she's planned in the time she's planned it to, Jacqui has ideas of using her other skills to continue working in the dance field, just not on the stage.

"I have said that if auditioning for companies I like doesn't work out right away that I could intern with the company's business side, using those skills to get me in. Then I could take classes with the company, get to know them, and work my way in as a dancer."

Dancing isn't always a brisé. Jacqui points out that dance is about overcoming challenges and problem solving every day. For her, the biggest challenge is to keep pushing through, even in the times of frustration and exhaustion, both mentally and physically. But it's the pursuit of improvement that keeps her going.

"Having the sense that something is just working out beautifully, and feeling that step that I always struggle with work out perfectly for the first time is always an amazing feeling." 

Jacqui (far left) poses while rehearsing a student
choreographed dance by Vanessa Vargas.

Despite being a versatile dancer with experience in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop, Jacqui doesn't think that's what sets her apart.

"I approach each class, rehearsal, and performance with a certain mindset that I've noticed lots of other dancers, and people, don't have. Positivity and an open mind are so important, especially when working with dance because negative thoughts bring you and the whole group down and an open mind leaves so much room for creativity," she said. "Leave the judgment at the door, enter with an open mind ready to learn, create and explore."

photo by leanna scachetti

She sums it up by saying it's not perfection she's seeking. Which would seem odd from someone whose career seems to be based upon the achievement of perfection (cue Black Swan.) But for Jacqui, being "perfect" isn't the end goal. 

"Perfect means I've reached the end. I always want to continue growing and learning, improving, and creating."


--------

This is their story.
What's yours?
Email stories.about.them@gmail.com with your story (or that of someone you know).
Stories About Them are stories about You.
Pass it on.

Martinez : Making it on the Mat. Part 1

Taekwondo competitor Nikki Martinez (right). Photo by Federacion TDK Puerto Rico

Oderint dum metuant. Translation: "Let them hate, so long as they fear."

 When Roman Emperor Caligula delivered Accius' poetic phrase, there was little telling where it might end up, and even less insight into the mouths and minds that would eventually take the phrase for their own. 20 year old Nikki Martinez is one of those minds, and with good reason. She is one to be feared.

Martinez is a young fighter from south Florida, but her parents are from Peru and Puerto Rico. She began training in Taekwondo at the age of four. She recalls her early childhood was not typically "girly" and her family clearly saw her true interests early on. "My mother always says she had never seen a child with more want to fight... I was in ballet for a short time prior, I was told I kicked the instructor. I have been in martial arts ever since." Martinez says she stuck with TKD because she realized she was good at it, and the fighting was what she fell in love with. For Martinez, TKD isn't just a hobby or a weekend pastime. "This is a full time job, a lifestyle, the training is my life." She currently fights for the Puerto Rican National TKD team, thanks to her mother's lineage, and trains in Fort Meyers, Florida.

Martinez defeats Mexico's Guadalupe Ruiz at the 2011 Pan
American games in Guadalajara.
(AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Martinez made national headlines in 2011 at the Pan American Games (a major annual sporting event for the Americas) when she won silver in TKD while fighting for Puerto Rico's national team. Martinez says when she won, she was beyond thrilled, but that the emotion didn't come right away. After she won the Bronze she was told that she was Puerto Rico's first medal at these games after almost a week of competition. After her first fight, a sports psychologist came to help her mentally prep for her next fight against Mexico who was favored to win, and on whose turf Martinez also happened to be fighting.

Martinez celebrates her victory as she runs around the arena. Photo by ElNuevoDia

"I was nervous," said Martinez, "but after some meditation exercises and some, for lack of a better term, talking to myself, I realized that I had a medal. The weight of producing something was lifted, now all I needed to do was fight." Martinez admits her Mexican opponent, Guadalupe was a strong fighter, but says her covers and counters were strong that day. "I remember walking out of the tunnel to the ring, everyone booing... I couldn't hear them though, I blanked. I could just see the crowd but nothing really reached me, it was the coolest experience."

Martinez celebrated with her coach after realizing she won the silver. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

 Despite the hostile crowd, Martinez beat Guadalupe in overtime. "I swear I literally jumped multiple feet in the air. I had actually just beat her. The crowd hated me. For finals with Cuba they were yelling at me. I got scared for my family in the stands a little. I broke my concentration. That's a lot to handle when you're 18 and it seems like the world is literally against you."

Click here for an interview with Martinez after her win 

Martinez ultimately lost to Cuba; a "more experienced, older, bigger" fighter, she says. But the silver medal, her "plata" was still gleaming in anticipation for Martinez to proudly hang around her neck.

Martinez receiving her Silver medal after she defeated Mexico at the 2011 Pan American games in Mexico. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

"I just stood on that podium thinking 'holy crap, I really just did that?' I know it sounds weird but the best part besides seeing my family freaking out, was when I got back to the athlete villa. Puerto Rico had been assigned the first 5 floors of one of the buildings for the housing of all our athletes. I had been doing press conferences and interviews after medals were given so I didn't think anyone would be up. I walked through the doors and the WHOLE PLACE ERUPTED, the entire islands' athletes were downstairs waiting for me to get back. We passed my medal around for good luck, took pictures, and finally got to eat," she laughs. "I've never felt so appreciated."


With her "plata", she was qualified to compete in the 2011 Pan American Olympic Qualifiers for the 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately, Martinez fell just short of the prize at the Qualifiers. "One more fight, and I would've gone," she recalls. "The funny part about that is, you would think I'd keep the high for Olympic qualifiers. I was training more than I ever had, but due to some political issues and such, my focus was starting to fade. The media is a great source and tool, but when you are constantly reading negative things about yourself, whether you use it to motivate you or drive you, it'll still always be in the back of your mind. To this day some of the comments on me still loom around in my mind."

After the loss, Martinez admits she felt had a different perspective on her art. Her resolve was that people are always going to talk, and says she has to take it with a grain of salt.

Photo by Univision Deportes.

 "You have to realize that what they say about you has no effect on you, your training, your life or your performance when it comes to competition. When they talk it means that they have some sort of a bursary towards you and that's fine to make enemies, you just have to make sure that they don't affect you."

Martinez receiving Puerto Rican Female Athlete of the Year at a ceremony in 2011. Photo courtesy of Martinez.

Martinez, however, faced no lack in admiration for her feats from Puerto Rico. She was soon after dubbed Puerto Rico's Female Athlete of the Year. "Athlete of the year was nice," she said. "I had to get dressed up which is something I rarely ever do. I took lots of pictures, lots of autographs. The kids who were there freaked out. It was just an honor to be selected for that."

Martinez meeting with Puerto Rican kids in school after her win. Photo by ElNuevoDia.

________________________________________________________

Stay tuned for Part two of Martinez : Making it on the Mat.