Dance became my life at age 18, and my age was considered late to join the field. The first time I took a dance class was awkward and embarrassing for me, but I had also never felt more connected to my whole self and the others in a room. From that point I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life using this medium, dance, to understand myself and others. In movement I am inspired by shapes, pathways, and purpose. I think a human body moving around space is a very powerful notion. An open space with little thought becomes filled with movement and is redesigned. The space begins to have a life. My formal dance education began at the collegiate level, which formed my movement style in ways different than most. While training, technique classes never just included movement, they were rooted in learning history, purpose, and the origin of creation. The strong emphasis on the academic side of dance has strongly influenced my movement style. I am inspired by working with artists who move very different them me and reflecting on their movement styles and how they came to be. Passing along this knowledge to others the dance community begins to create and collaborate with other artists, creating works that speak truths of to our personal experiences, our society, and perceptions of the world.