Emeline Schick, or Emee, a sophomore at UVU who has dedicated the last two years to the dance team, joined the UVU Dance Team in coming off two top-three finishes at the Universal Dance Association National Competition hosted in Orlando, Florida.
Since she was two, she has danced at a studio and always knew she wanted to continue with dance for as far as it could get her. “I’ve dedicated my whole life to dance. Dancing collegiately has always been a dream of mine since I was little,” Schick said on her dancing career. “UVU has always made me feel welcomed and supported. All the girls are so uplifting; this team has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
Schick’s main focus is dancing at UVU, but in her pass time, she choreographs for local studios.
Though Schick has not experienced a significant injury setback in her career, a pivotal setback happened last year when she developed and struggled with acute anxiety around dance. Schick explained how difficult and frustrating this setback was for her as nationals were around the corner.
She stated that these last two years at the team’s national championship appearances have been amazing. Her favorite memory was when the team won nationals and did a celebratory run into the water at Daytona Beach.
The most productive thing she has found when dealing with her anxiety is taking care of her body and mind. “I made sure to get a lot of sleep and make sure my coaches were aware of what I was experiencing so if I did have a panic attack, I would have people there to help me,” Schick stated. “Everyone was very understanding and helpful.”
The advice Schick would give to others struggling with anxiety would be to acknowledge it’s okay to have those feelings. “In the beginning, I was really hard on myself. It’s important to realize that your body is doing what it needs to do and to work it out. It’s okay to go through that, it is not a weakness.” Schick’s inspiration is drawn from many people including her older sister who got her into dancing, the president of the team, her family, and her fiancé Charlie.
Besides dance, Schick has many hobbies. She describes herself as artistic; not only is she a graphic design major but also loves to play different instruments. She sees in her daily life how her artistic abilities in dance translate to other creative realms. “I was sitting in a graphic design class and realized I knew the [material] because of dance.” Her favorite style of dance is contemporary, though she has developed a huge love for hip-hop. “Over time I realized with hip hop that it worked with how my body naturally moved.”
At the end of her junior year of high school, she decided that the path she wanted to go down was collegiate dance. She credits her studio for helping her decide what her next steps would be. “I did lots of research on the UVU Dance Team and trained for months to get down what I needed to for tryouts. Once I had that goal I really started working for it.”
After college Schick wants to go professional whether that be in a company or even dancing for the Utah Jazz. She stated that when she can no longer dance, teaching and choreography is something that she wants to keep in her life forever.
Balancing sports, personal life, and school is often a daunting task for many. The most effective time management technique for her has been using Google Calendar to set alarms and make sure she has time to take naps to avoid burnout
Schick wants to be known as very understanding, inclusive, and trustworthy. She makes a consistent effort to make sure people can trust her. She believes in treating others the way she would want to be treated and that everything happens for a reason.
For Emeline growing up in Utah has been “definitely different.” She noted that “being the only black person in the room can be difficult.” Schick talked about how everyone just wants to fit in and look the same. She has struggled with that a lot of her life but said that she sees that difference can be used to her advantage and that there are a lot of good things about being different especially in a dance setting. “I naturally stand out and that helps grow my confidence—when I was younger and I saw a black dancer I would get excited; I want to be that representation for other little girls.” Schick’s advice for others struggling with their sense of identity would be to “Truly be yourself, it’s okay to be yourself,” Schick mentioned. “Everyone is so unique and different and that’s a good thing.”
Shick and the dance team are preparing to head back to nationals next year to defend their top-three finishes.
