Getting into the groove isn’t hard when you love what you do. Just ask Josie Wheeley. 

     The sophomore has been dancing since she was 3 years old. Wheeley says her “passion grows the more [she] does it,” it’s an escape from school and all the other life distractions. She dances at Ballet Chesapeake, the dance conservatory of Maryland.

     Wheeley has been dancing for 12 years, over this time she danced at a Forest Hill Dance and now the Dance Conservatory of Maryland. Her genres include ballet, pointe, jazz and modern. Those who dance describe that ballet is graceful and uses formalized steps and movements to create an expressed composition. They add pointe is very similar to ballet but uses ballet shoes with a hard toe that is stood on, and jazz shows a dancer’s character and through energetic pieces that include quick turns and big leaps, and sass.  Modern is based on a dancer’s interpretation and is the opposite of ballet, movements are based on feeling. 

    Wheeley says her love and dedication is shown through her time commitment. Her schedule is jam packed Monday-Saturday. Her Monday-Friday schedule looks like school seven a.m. to two p.m. and dance 4:30-9 although times can vary. She gets her homework done during small breaks or when she gets home. Her Saturday schedule is dance from 9-4 with small breaks. 

     Wheeley says, “people from school or outsiders don’t realize the endurance, flexibility and stamina that’s needed, dance is hard work.” Muscles need to be strong due to the length of time one will perform, endurance is needed to keep the muscle from being fatigued because of muscles being used over and over.

    She’s been in many performances and she feels that these opportunities will take her far in her career. In some of those performances she’s said that she has had good casting roles. 

    Wheeley also attended a summer intensive in 2019. This was a 3-week program in Tampa, Florida. In the summer intensive she practiced jazz, modern, and ballet. Along with repertoire, all of the things a dancer knows and can perform, which she did in the showcase at the end of the 3-week intensive. 

     Wheeley wants to go to college for dance. Still not knowing where she would like to go exactly, she says Towson University is in the mix. Her hopes for after college include either making a dance studio for disabled kids or joining Broadway, or both.