Star Spotlight: Sam Amey
Junior Sam Amey has been dancing since she was 3. The Dart sat down with her to discuss her dancing experience and her future in professional dance.
Junior Sam Amey hits a resting position Nov. 1. Amey works with her choreographers to experiment with unconventional movement, creating a unique routine. photo by Amy Schaffer
November 22, 2019
What is your background in dance?
It’s been training in all styles, so like, ballet, modern, jazz, tap, lyrical, everything. I mainly am studying in modern and ballet right now. I’ve been dancing since I was 3 at a studio in Lee’s Summit called Monica’s, but then I switched over to a studio up north called Priscilla and Dana’s where I currently still dance. I’m with another company that focuses just on modern and ballet which is aside from my studio, that’s called Artists Revealed.
Can you tell me more about Artists Revealed?
It’s a company outside of our studio, it focuses on modern and ballet mainly, but it’s a pre-professional program. We practice every other day that I don’t have dance at the studio, so I dance all 7 days of the week.
How do you balance dance and schoolwork?
It gets a little difficult sometimes. It’s definitely stressful, especially starting junior year. I have to use my time wisely on free periods or after school, but I’m up pretty late doing schoolwork.
Do you think your love for dance outweighs the stress you feel?
Dance can definitely be therapeutic in a way. When you get exhausted or if anything is happening in life, it’s a way to express those emotions. But it definitely can all get very overwhelming— dancing 24/7 can wear me out. It’s nice to just do something non-dance related on the weekends, it helps me keep my love for dance and not get too overwhelmed with it.
What do you think motivates you to put so much work into your dancing?
Ever since I was little I knew it was something that I wanted to do for my future, and seeing other dancers have inspired me so that’s definitely what’s motivated me to keep going and keep trying.
Do you feel like your school community and your dance community are different?
Both are definitely more structured in their preparing you for competitions rather than performing at concerts or stuff like that, but I definitely would say that dance team is a little more laid back than our studio is. Not that dance team isn’t serious, it’s just for high school. Dance team is more for fun for me and for the social aspect of school. I think dance friends have always been closer to me, because growing up with them and being with people 24/7 doing things, it’s more of a vulnerable environment. You tend to get closer to those people. Dance is just a completely different environment, it’s more liberal and different.
What are your dreams for dance in your future?
I have always wanted to move to New York and I want to dance there and do concert dance. I want to perform with modern companies and, hopefully, going to college there.
