It’s a typical Tuesday night in February. The streets of Boston are bustling with rush hour traffic. Cars are racing by as people walk their dogs in the brisk, artificial light. Everyone is bundled up for the cold, but not Sydney Hark-Odsess.
The Boca Raton Florida native is in shorts and a t-shirt. Tap shoes in hand, she heads to the studio to lead her dance class as a tap choreographer for the Emerson Dance Company. A freshman political communications major, Sydney skims through her phone, catching up on the latest news about Bernie Sanders while waiting for the crosswalk light to change.
Her Campus Emerson met with Sydney to ask her about where she got her start in dance, where she is now and where she hopes to be in the future.
HCE: “What made you want to be a choreographer?”
SH-O: “I just went for it. I like making up dances, I like to dance, and I saw it as a leadership role and a new challenge.”
HCE: “How do you feel you’ve grown by becoming a choreographer here at Emerson?”
SH-O: “It’s definitely a lot more responsibility because I have to create, rather than just do, which is a new level of commitment. I have to figure it out myself. No one’s telling me what to do.”
This is not Sydney’s first rodeo when it comes to dancing. Participating in nearly fifteen years of competition dance, she is well versed in almost every style.
“I started dancing when I was three years old. Back then, jazz used to be my favorite. But right now, it’s definitely tap,” she says.
She has also taught dance before. Sydney worked at her local dance studio in Boca Raton, leading classes for children. This, however, was a very different experience than working with college level dancers.
“I used to teach 10-year-olds and kindergartners at summer camps. It’s a lot different now, because here, I’m dealing with peers rather than people who are 10 years younger than me. It’s a completely different atmosphere, but I like it a lot,” says Sydney.
Sydney looks forward to pursuing her love for dance in the future.
As she laces up her tap shoes, she explains her goals in teaching and choreographing for EDC.
“I hope to have a really good dance put together, and to choreograph more tap dances, as well as different styles in the future. I want to keep challenging myself.”
People begin to fill into the studio; she greets each and every person with a smile and explains the schedule for the next two hours. Sydney states how thankful she is for these dancers, and for the EDC as a whole.
“I met a bunch of different people that I probably wouldn’t have,” says Sydney. “It’s given me a community to belong to.”
Sydney starts her warm-up music and shuffles to the front of the class. With a smile on her face, she leads the dancers in warm-ups. Sydney dances to the beat of her own drum, something she hopes to continue with EDC in years to come.