Featured Athlete: Audrey Phillips

At what age did you start dancing, what encouraged you?

I started taking dance lessons when I was two years old, and  have been competing since I was 10. Initially my parents just put me in it, but I really started taking it seriously when I started competing. I have always had this drive in me about dancing, it’s something I’m really passionate about. I just loved it. The dancers I dance with on drill team and my competition team, have always encouraged me. I really look up to my coaches, teachers and choreographers. I really love Melanie Moore, who won “So You Think You Can Dance,” season eight.

What studio do you dance for, what do you like about your studio?

I dance for Jodi Phillips Dance Company. This would be my second year. It’s probably one of the best decisions I have made. I was at Diamond Academy for about eight years, and it came to the point where dance was so serious that I needed to be pushed and trained in a different way. My company really highlights individual style, where as other studios want you to look exactly the same as the person standing next to you.

What type of dance is your favorite, what are your strengths and weaknesses?

I love contemporary dance the most, it definitely comes more naturally to me. I feel as though my strength is understanding dance. It just makes sense in my head. For instance some people do math really well in their head, and dance is what comes through my head. I’m able to see and understand movement very well. Tap is definitely my least favorite, because I am awful at it. It just doesn’t come naturally to me.

How is dancing for East different than dancing for an outside studio?

They are completely different styles. Drill team is more structured, and you want to look the same as their person standing next to you since you’re developing different images. With my company it is more modernised. I love both very much, just in different ways. Last year was my first year on varsity for East, and I didn’t really know how everything worked. The older junior’s and senior’s developed my drill team style. This year I understand what nationals is, and how it works, so I am able to be a guide for the younger girls.

What has been your greatest accomplishments dance wise, and where do you see yourself in the future?

Last year winning nationals with the drill team was a huge achievement. My company won nationals at a different competition, was a huge achievement. One of my biggest goals right now, is getting back to where I was two months ago, since my foot was broken. I definitely want to major in dance in college. I’m looking at Oklahoma, Indiana and a lot of contemporary based schools. That is a big element in my college research. I want to train in college and improve each year. My dream is to be part of a performance team, and travel the world dancing.