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If you have ever attended any dance performance in the last three years at Manhattanville, you may have noticed one dancer in particular grace the stage. Brianna Pruchnicki is currently a Junior at Manhattanville College who has proven that passion and dedication for what you love can go a long way.
Brianna grew up in Naugatuck, Connecticut and is the daughter to John and Kimberly Pruchnicki. She’s the oldest out of her two sisters Michaela and Abigail. The family also has a lovable dog named Mia. If you live in this small town, you know who the Pruchnicki’s are. “No matter where I go there is always someone I know.” Brianna said, reflecting on the town she’s lived in for her entire life. She also has a boyfriend who she recently made two years with named Charles Rusch.
Her family is very active in the education system. “I can’t even begin to you how many relatives I have involved in education.” She laughed, relaxing in the comfort of the bedroom we share along with our other roommate Alex who listens close by. “I know students of my grandfather who would come up to him and say ‘You were the best teacher I ever had.’ and that inspires me.” Brianna hopes to get her masters and become a teacher to teach Pre-K to 2nd grade.
While education is something she’s passionate about, her first passion is dance. “I was three years-old when I started dancing.” She said confidently. “It was love at first step.” Going to college that has a good dance program is important for many dancers. Manhattanville has a great Dance and Theater department which was part of her reason for deciding to come here. “They had an audition and I met some of the professors. It was very welcoming.” She admitted. “It’s a great program to be apart of because everyone is a family. There is no judgment and we all get along.” Brianna is also apart of MIMO (Minds in Motion) which is a hip-hop dance group on campus. She’s been involved in MIMO since her freshman year and also shares the same family bond with the team.
The DTH department is known for putting on amazing productions. One of Brianna’s fondest memories was choreographing her first piece in college for the 2015 Spring Dance Concert. “It was a great experience to see the dancers I picked take the stage and do my choreography.” The piece was a dedication to her sisters since all three of them are extremely close. I was able to witness this piece and many other pieces Brianna has been in and I can testify that she’s an amazing choreographer and dancer. The passion does indeed show with every step she takes.
A year from now Brianna will be walking the stage to receive her Bachelors degree after a lot of hard work. While this may be a year from now, what about 5 years from now? “I hope to perform and also have my own dance studio where I would also teach dance.” If you’re someone who wants to study dance in college, she has the perfect advice for you. “Go for it. Everybody can dance. It’s the passion that you have inside of you that should drive you to dance.”
The next time you attend a dance performance on campus, keep an eye out for Brianna Pruchnicki. She’ll instantly capture your heart and make you fall in love with dance.