Name: Paige Enjoli Fraser
Age: 21
Location: Bronx,NY
What got you into dancing? Well I started dancing at the age of four. My parents put me in dance, swimming, ice skating but I only seemed to like dancing. I trained in a Ballet studio in Westchester for about 10 years until I began highschool.
In highschool I attended Professional Performing Arts High School in Manhattan as a dance major at the Ailey School. At that point I was exposed to many other forms of dance aside from Ballet such as; Modern, Jazz, African. Following highschool I went to college in California and studied at Alonzo King Lines Ballet. In that program I was exposed to contemporary ballet, which I love to do.
Following my freshman year, I decided I wanted to transfer to Fordham University in New York. Fordham University had a dance program (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance) at the Ailey School. My junior year at Fordham/Ailey I was offered an apprenticeship with Ailey II. Ailey II is the junior company to Alvin American Dance Theatre. It is a company of 12; 6 girls and 6 boys offering a 2 year contract. Ailey II makes both domestic and international tours.
I am currently in my senior year at Fordham as well as touring with Ailey II. It is a dream come true to be touring and performing at such a young age. I am grateful for everything and all the coaching and support from my directors and mentors. It has been a great journey so far.
how does dance inspire you?
Dance inspires me in so many ways. The fact that there are so many dance pioneers before my generation, really motivates me to make my own legacy. I admire the dancers that came before me. Dance pioneers such as Alvin Ailey, Arthur Mitchell, Tally Beatty really voiced their opinions through their dancing. They broke the raciam barriers that had kept African Americans off the stage for so many years. That alone is inspiring, because it showed passionate they were about dance.
What kind of emotions do you feel/give off when you dance?
Dance is my outlet. When I am performing on stage, I feel a rush of emotions. Depending on what I am performing I may decide to dedicate it to a family member or a friend in need of prayer. Or many times I use a performance to release any negativity or frustrations I may have.
If Im having nervous emotions before a performance I try to center that into something else. A teacher or mine is famous for saying "Lets celebrate with the audience" (Mr.Moore) and I use that to remind myself why I do what I do.
It is always a great feeling to the entire audience standing on their feet screaming ENCORE at the ende of a performance. That alone leaves me feeling accomished because I've suceeded at touching someone in the audience.
What are some of your goals for dance?
My main goal is to grow deeper as a dancer/performer. I hope to contine dancing professionally for many years. After my time with Ailey II, I hope to move onto Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (first company), Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alonzo King Lines, and Philadanco. I also enjoy acting so I may also look into dancing on Broadway at some point.
I also want to build a name for myself. I want to be a dancer that people admire. I know growing up I had plenty of role models. Its a great feeling to be inspired by another dancer because it makes you see things in a different way. You leave the theatre wanting to dance and that's the best feeling.
Do you have any dancer role models?
My role models would be: Aesha Ash, Misty Copeland, Linda Celeste, Olivia Bowman, Briana Reed, Matthew Rushing, Desmond Richardson, Clifton Brown, Camille Brown (etc).
do you take any other styles of dance or not? If not, would you like
to try any other style?
During my dance training, I have been exposed to Ballet, Modern, Jazz, African, Tap, and Hip Hop. There isn't anything else I would want to try. I would suggest that dancers try all forms of dance ao they are well rounded.
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