A Conversation About Starting Dance at Any Age
Getting to Know Pointe Shoe Fitter Emma Neilson
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor
Photo by Robb Webb Photography
There is an unspoken assumption in society that once you reach adulthood, your time has passed to try something new. However, DWC Pointe Shoe Fitter and DWC Blog Contributor Emma Neilson shares that it’s never too late to try dance. Read on to learn about her dance journey, goals for the future, and desire for more professional development support for young adult dancers.
Emma’s first experience with dance was Scottish Highland dancing around ages four to eight, as it was an activity that ran in her family. In her childhood, she also took up equestrian horseback riding for a while. But her whole life changed when she watched figure skating in the Winter Olympics for the first time. Emma declared to her mom that she would be an Olympic figure skater, and after two years of begging, her mom signed her up for public group lessons. Eventually, Emma began training with a private coach and becoming more advanced in her technique. She began taking ballet classes as well to improve her ice skating abilities. Her ballet technique also began improving with practice and around age 13 Emma’s teacher suggested her class begin dancing in demi-pointe shoes.
When Emma started high school, her parents encouraged her to choose one activity to focus on. After landing her axel jump, a long-time figure skating goal of hers, Emma decided to devote her extracurricular time fully to ballet. After continuing ballet through high school, Emma took a gap year following her graduation. She applied to some colleges but recalls her heart not being fully in the process. She remembers having a conversation with the artistic director of her dance studio at the time to help her weigh her options. Emma’s artistic director advised her to audition for some summer intensives and pointed her in the direction of International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, WA. After auditioning, Emma was accepted at IBA, where she’s been dancing ever since. She’s currently a part of IBA’s Professional Program.
Photo by Rex Tranter Photography
In addition to training at IBA and working at DWC, Emma is a Certified American Barre Technique Instructor, a Certified Flexistretcher Instructor, and a Pal Program Coordinator for the organization Dancer for Dancer. She’s also currently in the midst of audition season and is auditioning for dance companies to be a part of.
Emma is currently a retail associate and pointe shoe fitter at Dancewear Center’s Kirkland location. In addition to working as a retail associate and pointe shoe fitter, Emma has copious experience working inventory at DWC, ensuring that products are labeled correctly and organized. She is also excited to be a part of The Pointe Shop Progressive Pointe Method training program to help build upon her pointe shoe fitting knowledge. Emma began working at DWC in 2019, as she had begun training with IBA and was in search of a job to help supplement her time outside of the studio. She reached out to Owner and General Manager Samantha Weissbach through the contact form on DWC’s website. After being interviewed by Samantha and another staff member, she was offered a job!
Emma loves that Dancewear Center strives to be much more than just a business, but also foster a community by connecting with other artists and businesses across the region. She is also such a big fan of Samantha, sharing that she considers her a “forever mentor.” She says that it’s been amazing, as a young woman, to be brought under another woman’s wing to assist with professional development.
Pointe shoe fitting is one of Emma’s favorite things to do at Dancewear Center, sharing that she knows what it’s like to be in physical pain and struggle to find a functional pair of shoes. “I really enjoy being able to bond with basically anybody who walks through the door,” Emma says, speaking to the common bond she can share with customers through a love of dance.
Photo by Rex Tranter Photography
Outside of dancing and working, Emma enjoys spending her free time outside with her family. “I really love going on walks and hikes,” she says. She also enjoys baking, cooking, writing, reading, and going to the movies. “I also love a good self-care session,” Emma shares, sharing that she likes to take care of her body and mind by taking a bath and using a muscle gun on sore muscles.
In the future, Emma hopes to be able to dance with a company and have the opportunity to continue taking classes, performing, and growing as a dancer. She would also love the opportunity to work on some choreography and continue educating herself on pointe shoe fitting.
A change that Emma wishes to see made in the dance industry is studios and academies become more welcoming to beginner dancers of all ages. “Not everybody starts at age three,” she points out. She would also like more professional development opportunities to become available to young adult dancers, pointing out that many dancers do not have their life trajectory figured out at age 18. She shares that she has many conversations with friends who aren’t dancers who express their desire to dance, but fear their time has passed. “You can do it!” Emma says to those who want to try dance at any age.
Be sure to say hi to Emma if you see her at DWC Kirkland!
