DWC Ambassador Ava Budish on Self-Expression and Breaking the Mold
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In nearly every industry, expectations are set regarding what a professional individual should look and act like, and dance is no exception. However, these standards are arbitrary. The dance world is a much better place when dancers have the freedom to break the mold and express themselves freely. DWC Ambassador Ava Budish shares her thoughts on expressing herself through dance, creating connections, and breaking the mold.
Ava began dancing around age three in her hometown in northern California. She focused solely on ballet for around ten years. After moving to Washington and starting high school, she ventured into new styles at Glass House Dance, including lyrical, modern, jazz, and contemporary. Ava also joined a competition team, where she’s been competing for about three years. Recently, Ava has also started teaching dance to little kids, which she greatly enjoys. She loves witnessing children explore dance for the first time, and getting the chance to “help shape their first experiences.”
What’s kept Ava connected to dance for so long is it being an effective source of expression for herself. She shares that for a long time, especially as a child, she danced more for the performance aspects. But, as she’s gotten older, tried new styles, and connected more to herself as a dancer, she feels like she’s gotten more opportunities for self-expression. Rather than solely performing to entertain an audience, dance has become a vessel for Ava to come in closer contact with her inner feelings and share them with others. “This is my outlet in that way,” she shares.
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A challenge that Ava faced after moving to Washintgon was trying out new styles of dance and feeling comfortable outside of a hyper-focused, competitive ballet atmosphere. “To me, ballet was what tied me back to California. And for a while, that was the reason I kept dancing,” she says. “I really tied it to my identity.” She felt like if she wasn’t training in a competitive ballet environment as she did before, she wouldn’t be the same person. However, once she got out of that mindset, she found herself enjoying dance even more. Soon after, Ava was able to take some steps in a healthier direction, towards a more balanced lifestyle with more dance genres under her belt.
For others struggling to try new classes, Ava shares that trying out the first class is the hardest step, but it’s also often the most impactful. She suggests that people just try one new class, “give it a shot,” and go from there.
After a long break from dancing on stage due to COVID-19, Ava is thrilled to return to performing and competing this season. “I’m super excited for this company/competition season,” Ava says, sharing that she’ll be competing in a duet with former DWC Ambassador Niki Kothari. She’s also looking forward to attending some dance conventions this year to learn from some of the best professional dancers and choreographers in the industry.
As a DWC Ambassador, Ava is excited to bridge gaps between different dance communities. She points out that there is a lot of separation in the dance world, so she is eager to help cultivate a space that values connection and collaboration. Ava also looks forward to being a voice for those in various dance realms, from those who have trained strictly in ballet to those who dance more recreationally.
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Looking ahead, Ava hopes that the dance world moves towards being more inclusive, with fewer barriers and expectations regarding what a dancer is supposed to look like. While the dance community, in general, has been moving in a positive direction, she says that more work can be done in amplifying the voices to people who don’t fit the typical “mold” of what a dancer is expected to be like. “You don’t have to fit that mold to do great things in dance and make a difference,” Ava says.
