Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Davonne Walker: A Dancer With A Dream

Howard Fooksman, ENGL 336.001

Frostburg, MD-

"You have to have a plan" Davonne Walker proclaims, "If you want to achieve a goal."

Most college students have trouble seeing past the current semester, with classwork and socializing consuming most of their time. That isn't the case for one Frostburg State student, however, as Davonne Walker already has a long term goal in sight. A self taught dancer and choreographer, Ms. Walker has a dream of one day opening her own dance and art studio in New York, but knows that it isn't as simple as just hanging up her shingle and waiting for dancers to come to her.

"I want to go into public relations, and make money now so I can open my studio later."

Davonne confesses to a certain pragmatic approach to her goal, hoping to make her fortune in another field before moving to dance full time later in life. "I prefer to work for a small non-profit, but will work for a corporate client [if they pay enough]" she admits. Davonne is well aware of the difficulties in making a go of it in the dance world, so is ready to build up her bank account before embarking on her studio project. Just because she has put her dance goals aside until later doesn't mean that Davonne has stopped dancing however, as she still dances whenever she gets a chance. Whether liturgical dancing in the church, or performing at Frostburg (most recently with the Epitome Dance Group), Davonne has made sure to keep her dancing skills sharp. This hasn't gone unnoticed by her friends at school either, as former neighbor Paige Hawkins proclaims "Davonne is one of the most passionate dancers I know, she never misses a chance to show off her skills."



"I just love to dance"

Coming from a large basketball-obsessed family Davonne became a dancer almost by accident. If it wasn't for the encouragement of her aunt and older sister, Davonne likely would have never found and pursued dance, instead continuing the basketball career that she started in high school. A chance experience with professional dance ignited a passion in Davonne, however, and her dream came into focus. For a girl growing up in a small community on Maryland's Eastern Shore, running a New York dance studio seems almost impossible, but for a woman with the passion and pragmatism of Davonne Walker, anything seems possible.

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