Getting to Know DWC Blog Editor Nicole Barrett
A Conversation About Writing and Dancing in the Greater Seattle Area
Name pronunciation: Nick-ole Bear-et | Pronouns: she/her
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor
Since its conception, the DWC Blog has been an outlet for local artists and business owners to share their stories with the dance community of greater Seattle. For those on the DWC Blog team, the blog has also become a site of learning and connection. DWC staff member Nicole Barrett shares what she loves about writing for the DWC Blog, what she hopes to see change in the dance world, as well as her plans for the future. Nicole will soon be the new editor for the DWC Blog, so keep an eye out for her upcoming posts!
Growing up, Nicole trained at several different dance studios across the greater Seattle area. She began taking dance classes at age three at the Renton Community Center. “I fell in love with it,” Nicole shares. She later took classes at Rainier Ballet Academy and participated in the performing company. After the dance school got bought out by another business, Nicole began taking classes from the studio director out of her house multiple times a week to continue dancing. She later took classes at Body Language Studio (formerly Cornerstone Studio) and then took some time off following an injury. Nicole eventually landed at Spotlight Dance Center, where she has danced in the performing company and participates in annual shows.
“Dance is my way of expressing without having to use words,” Nicole says. She enjoys that dance allows her the ability to share her emotions without having to speak, as verbal communication is admittedly not her favorite mode of expression. Nicole feels like dancing has allowed her to be more emotionally intelligent, as she’s able to explore nuanced feelings through movements that are challenging to verbalize.
Something Nicole hopes to see change in the dance world is the unrealistic physical expectations for dancers, as well as the antiquated ideas about gender roles in dance. “Everyone can dance, no matter what their body type is,” Nicole says. “Dance is for every person, it doesn’t have to be just for one specific set of people.” She believes that more dance studios should promote the idea that anyone can dance and have open conversations about tough topics like physical insecurities. She appreciates that Spotlight Dance Center celebrates “Love Your Body Week,” an annual event in which a week is dedicated to promoting self-care and self-love.
Nicole learned about Dancewear Center last summer when her studio director informed her and her fellow dancers that a new dance store was opening in Renton, Washington and that they were looking for staff. Nicole thought she would make an excellent member of the DWC team, as she had experience dancing which would lend itself well as a retail associate at a dancewear store. She and her friend and fellow dancer Mia Behnke applied and both got the jobs! In August 2021, Nicole began working as a retail associate. Months later, Nicole was recruited by DWC Owner and General Manager Samantha Weissbach to work on the DWC marketing team. Since then, Nicole has been devoting most of her work time to training to be the next DWC Blog Editor, as well as helping out with photography efforts.
“Dance is for every person, it doesn’t have to be just for one specific set of people”
Nicole enjoys writing for the DWC Blog because she gets to learn about other peoples’ stories and relationships with dance. She points out that in everyday dance training, it’s rare that dancers discuss how dance has helped shape their lives. Hearing the stories of others has opened Nicole’s eyes to what dance can do for people and the capacity that it has to transform lives. Through conducting and transcribing interviews, she also feels a stronger attachment to the local dance community in Seattle and a greater understanding of its interconnectedness.
Outside of working and dancing, one of Nicole’s greatest passions is film. She enjoys watching movies in her free time, but she is unsure of what she would like to pursue in college. Growing up, she loved watching the movie Monsters, Inc., and today she’s a huge fan of Knives Out, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Marvel movies. She’s also fond of taking photographs, spending time with her friends and family, and engaging in self-care when she can.
This summer, Nicole is attending a summer film program at UCLA and plans to start preparing her college applications and touring universities. She is still unsure about where she wants to land for college, but she is excited for the future. Nicole also shares that she has some dance performances coming up that she’s preparing for with her dance studio.
We’re thrilled to have Nicole as our new DWC blog editor! Stay tuned for more posts from her in the upcoming months.
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