Laura Logan
Dancer, RS Confidence Academy
1) Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I work with RS Confidence Academy, a non-profit run by dancer, teacher, and choreographer Trina Robinson-Kemie who also owns and operates Rock Star Dance Fitness, a studio in Burbank. I help the director connect with our community by producing performances and classes in multi-cultural dance styles, and I dance in company productions.
2) How did you first become interested in dance?
I became interested in dancing as a child when I started taking weekly ballet and tap classes at the local studio. My love of dance grew and I was always dancing around the house. My family supported me in finding more classes to take and more places to study ballet.
I continued to study ballet in professional programs, but after a while became disenchanted with the cutthroat environment within professional ballet. It was kind of demoralizing; there was no encouragement. There was no room for individuality as a young dancer. It was more about tearing you down than building you up. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, check out this profile on figure skater Nathan Chen and his ballet teacher from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics (time stamp 1:42 – 2:25). (Whoah…I can laugh about it now!)
I quit dancing and went to college, and after a few years I found another opportunity to learn the art form of jazz dance. I joined a company in the Washington, D.C. area and from there started performing in professional musical theater productions. I found this type of dance to be much more personally rewarding. Since then I’ve had an on again, off again relationship with dance, but I always end up back–once a dancer, always a dancer!
3) How does art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
Art enriches a community by opening hearts and minds. There is a certain kind of energy in a community that values the arts–it is alive and exciting, and offers something for everyone.
People can engage with art in Burbank by seeking out arts-related private businesses and non-profits, supporting them by taking classes, making purchases, making donations, or volunteering to help out. It means a lot to these artists to engage with members of the community. Building a vibrant arts community in Burbank cannot be left up to the city government or to any one individual or group, Burbank needs all of us.
4) If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
Creativity takes many forms. Anyone can and should be an artist!
To find out more about RS Confidence Academy, visit their website at https://www.rockstardancefitness.com/.
