Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Wade.
Rachel, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Denton, Texas where my love for dance was fostered by Lisa Racina at Denton Dance Conservatory. I have been very blessed to have two parents who have always been supportive of my love for dance and passion for teaching. My parents are both in medicine, so I think it was probably a little bit of a shift for both of them to have a child who wanted to pursue a career in the performing arts. After graduating from high school, I attended Texas Christian University and received my B.F.A in Modern Dance. A year after graduation I was hired to teach dance at Arlington Heights High School (AHHS) in Fort Worth, Tx.
The dance program at AHHS was started by Elizabeth Gillaspy, who was one of my ballet teachers at TCU and is now the Director of the TCU School for Classical and Contemporary Dance. It is so neat to get to carry on the legacy of a woman who I admire tremendously! I never planned to stay there past four years, but now I am going into my 8th year of teaching at Heights. I love my job, our students, and the people I work with. Since I have been at AHHS I have been lucky to work with my colleagues and administration to grow the program, start a pre- professional youth dance company on our campus, and most importantly provide the opportunity for young people to experience quality dance education!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I love to dance; my passion is teaching young people how to dance and to have an appreciation for the art form. I believe in the power of movement to create change the lives of young people. I think dance is the most effective way to teach students self – discipline, confidence, and self – expression. Teaching and choreographing is what I do, I enjoy creating work on high school aged dancers, and challenging them to find their creative voice through performance and the choreographic process. Most often, what I create is inspired by the experiences of others. I am very interested in the choices people make, their lives, and what lights their world on fire. When I set choreography on my students, I always try to let them have some control over the material. I care about what feels good in their bodies, I want them to feel comfortable executing the movement.
Much of what I do with the dancers in our company is based on team work. I may create the movements, but I often ask them to manipulate them in ways that make sense to them, so that they have ownership over the work that they are doing. They work harder when they are allowed to truly be a part of the process. I absolutely love teenagers, I think they are the most amazing humans and my students teach me so much each day! I dance/teach/choreograph because of them, they are my biggest inspiration. Nothing is more exciting to me than seeing them succeed.
I am now working towards her M.A. in Dance Education.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
Life as an arts educator is a constant, uphill battle. Personally, the longer I am in this industry the, harder it has become. This is mostly because I am becoming more outspoken and wanting more support from school districts and communities. Art education is SO IMPORTANT, it is the reason why a majority of students come to school every day, it is why they go to college, it is how they get into college. I would love to see our communities advocate for higher standards for arts education. Better facilities, more resources and exposure, more leaders who are invested in what we are doing in our classrooms.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am very excited to be participating in Muscle Memory Dance Theatre’s Made in A Day project July 26-28th. Each choreographer is given 24 hours to set an 8-minute piece on dancers they have never met. I am really looking forward to this challenge!
The Arlington Heights High School (AHHS) Repertory Dance Company (RDC) has a performance this upcoming Nov. 2nd and 3rd at the W.E. Scott Theater in Fort Worth, Texas. They will be performing work by myself, Jackie Millan, Courtney Jones, and Sarah Newton. Our department holiday show, “Cowtown Christmas” will be Dec. 14th and 15th and our student choreography concert will take place in April 2019. You can find ticket info on our website www.ahhsdance.com.
Supporting my work means supporting our students! Check out our website, come visit our campus, come watch these amazing kids dance! Talk to them, share about their work, serve on our board, make a donation!! The more the community knows about the incredible work our students do the better. That is always a win for me.
Contact Info:
- Address: Arlington Heights High School Dance Department, 4501 W. Freeway, Fort Worth, Texas 76052
- Website: www.ahhsdance.com www.rachelwadedance.com
- Phone: 8178151070
- Email: [email protected] [email protected]
- Instagram: @rachelwadedance @ayyheightsdance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelwadedance/ https://www.facebook.com/AHHSDanceDepartment/
Image Credit:
All photos credited to Sarah Schreiner Studios
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