Marin is interning with Dina Zunic at
Prestige Academy of Dance.
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MARCH 15, 2021I have been having such a fantastic time working for Prestige Academy of Dance. I've learned a little more about the ins and outs of running a dance studio and how vital the behind-the-scenes parts are in keeping the studio active.
Most of the time, when I'm at the studio, I help prepare the costumes for the stage scheduling and practices and clean up. As I expected, a good amount of the job includes cleaning the mirrors in the studios because it is an essential part of keeping a studio prepared for students to come and dance in every day. I have helped prepare the students for competitions, including ones that will happen in March and April 2021. I am also helping with the organization of old costumes and figuring out efficient ways to sell them to people who need them for dances.
Besides the costumes' organization, I also have to steam dozens of different costumes and distribute them to dozens of other students. It's an opportunity for me to meet all of the people who go to my dance studio on a more professional level rather than as a student. I am in charge of most class costumes, and I have the last say on whether the outfit is ready to be distributed.
One of the most exciting parts of the internship has been learning about how to prepare for a dance competition. There is so much more that goes into a dance competition aside from the dances. I didn't realize that the teachers had confrontations with the competition owners to get all the students registered and participated in each event. Things such as uploading music to the competition database are so much more complicated than I had initially thought, which makes me feel very thankful for my teachers who have been doing it all these years. I also got to participate in a competition as a teacher rather than as a student. It was such an extraordinary experience because rather than frantically dancing, I got to sit and watch with my fellow teachers.
Sitting with the studio owner and fellow teachers gave me a view of what they do after a competition occurs. Rather than just going home and going to sleep, they have to file and organize each student's award. I had the job of distributing and managing each award, which was much more complicated than I had expected it to be. It shows that our studio is very well trained because there were so many awards to organize. My favorite part of the competition experience was listening to my fellow teachers thoughtfully discuss the dances and helping to take notes on their critiques.
As I mentioned, my internship allowed me to travel with the studio to multiple competitions throughout February and March. My supervisor told me that whenever I wanted to go to the competition, all I had to do was tell her I was coming, and she was more than happy for me to help her in her frantic day at the competition. My mother tried to go with me to a couple of the competitions, but due to COVID restrictions, she could not come. It was exciting being on my own at a competition for the first time in 12 years of competitive dance.
One of my favorite parts of the internship so far has the bonds that I've created with my supervisor and colleagues in the workplace. I feel as though I have bonded with these people even though they have so much more experience than I do. They've begun to trust me with more significant tasks such as selling used furniture online. Seeing a change in my dancing skills is also a significant plus to the internship experience because since I am now at the studio for many more hours, I have the opportunity to practice on my own. I find that my work ethic is also greater when I am in the studio. Also, I got some free food out of it because now, as an intern, I am considered a part of the "Prestige Faculty"!
I am super happy that I chose to intern at Prestige Academy of Dance, even though I live there at this point (and might as well bring a mattress). I truly get to learn the ins and outs of a dance studio from the perspective of both the student and the teacher, which is something I would not have been able to experience until later in life. I get to help both the younger kids and my peers, and will be learning about the financial aspects of the studio next week. I'm super excited for the months to come and for all that I will learn!