Name: Dianne Robleza
Major: Dance
Year: 4th
Hometown: The “Heart of the Bay,” Hayward, CA
Favorite food: Sushi
What inspired you want to become a dance major?
I always knew I wanted to pursue dance as a career but I didn’t realize I wanted to be a dance major until the end of my junior year going into senior year of high school. It took me a lot of soul searching to find out what I wanted to do in college. Even though I’m good at math and English and I would do well on those paths, it’s not something I’m passionate about as I am with dance. Religiously, that’s what I did day in and day out. I started when I was 14 and the only way I was able to do it was because I emailed our local dance studio Fusion Dance Project and the artistic directors gave me a full scholarship. I would dance 30 to 35 hours a week. It’s just what I loved and I didn’t see a point in trying to achieve a goal I’m not passionate about and so that’s why I wanted to be a dance major. I could have easily gone to L.A. and started my dance career, but I wanted to make my mom happy and attain a bachelor’s degree, so that’s why I went to a four year university as well.
Did you get any pushback or discouragement to becoming a dance major?
My mom didn’t really know I was applying to schools with dance. She thought I was going to pursue a degree in something that would make me more financially secure. My mom is a single mother and we grew up on the low-income side. She expected me to find a career with a larger income because we weren’t always in the best financial situation. I still wanted to pursue dance even if it wouldn’t give me much money because it’s what makes me happy. I had setbacks when I would audition and they would reject me, but I kept going forward and knew that this was what I wanted to do and I kept auditioning. It landed me in Santa Barbara.
Why are you passionate about dancing? What pushes you to keep going?
Well, several things, I’ve always been an artistic person and passionate for the performing arts. I’ve done show choir and band for 5 years and I’ve always loved performing. It’s something that’s a part of me that I consistently need to feed artistically. It’s an outlet for myself. I know people have different coping mechanisms when they’re stressed or sad, but I always turned to dance when I needed something uplifting. Also, without dance I would not be here. It’s something that kept me grounded and sane throughout my high schools career, especially when I was going through an emotional stage in my life. Mental health wise, it’s made me the person I am today. I want to impart the way it saved me and save others with my art form, whether that’s teaching, inspiring non-dancers or audience members.
What are some of the struggles you face as a dance major?
At UCSB, some challenges of being a dance major here is balancing academics and a structured conservatory dance program because at a typical conservatory, you don’t really have academics, you just dance day in and day out. As a UC student, we have to comply with what the system expects of us academically, while dancing everyday for hours. You’re physically and mentally tired, but you have to push through everyday. The minimum hours I spend dancing in technical classes is at least 20 to 25 hours, not including rehearsals and performances.
Are there any pieces that you are working on currently?
Right now I’m part of a performance choreographed by one of my cohorts from the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Amanda Tran. She’s doing the choreography for our Fall Dance Concert and I’m one of her dancers. I’m set to choreograph for the Spring Dance Concert next year and also might be doing some independent pieces as well.
I know you choreographed your own piece and chose dancers to perform in it for the UCSB Junior Concert. What piece did you create and what was the message behind it?
My piece last year was called “Serotonin”. It was basically an abstract idea on how serotonin moves through our brain systems and how that affects us as human beings. I wanted to go more into the chemistry of mental health and depression, specifically, and how that translates into movement.
How was your experience creating your own material and how did you feel seeing it in action?
It was a new experience because I never choreographed for a big group before. It was an eye opening experience to see what works well on my body and translating that to other people’s movement. Just watching them take in my choreography and then putting it into theirs and maneuvering it for what’s comfortable for them, while trying to capture how I wanted it to look like. It was challenging because I would come to roadblocks where dancers inspired me to create something else and I would create a whole new dance phrase. It’s a consistent change. You’re working for the process and not on the process. Being able to create artwork together was a collaborative effort. It’s never cookie cutter. Seeing it in action and my dancers love for dance translate into the movement was very fulfilling!
What are your goals for the future?
I’m working on my technique and artistry because my main goal is to audition for the Edge Scholarship in L.A. It’s one of the top dance studios there and I really like their training program. I feel like there’s so much room for improvement, especially going into a demanding field such as commercial dance. That’s my goal as of right now. Also, auditioning for agencies and see where I fit in and if I can get an agent myself. I want to build my portfolio as a dancer and model dancer. I’ve been working on doing trade shoots with various photographers from SoCal and NorCal. My ultimate goal would be to work with various artists and hopefully go on tour with a company or artists in the commercial industry. After that, I want to teach and choreograph on the side. Then, pursue a Master of Fine Arts to potentially teach in a college setting as a dance professor.
Do you have advice for people wanting to pursue dance as a career?
You have to love it for you to continue. There’s going to be days where you fall out of love for it, but you have keep on pushing. Just know that you’re doing this for yourself and what motivates you, not for anyone else. If art is what you want to do for the rest of your life and you’re passionate about it, then do it.