On the Move!
High school senior Emma Ferruggia is a dancer and cheerleader who loves doing everything with creative movement.
BY PAMELA PALONGUE
At age 4, Emma Ferruggia began training as a dancer in ballet and tap at Marguerite’ s Academy of Dance. Ballet is often where most dancers begin, since it has all the foundational principles of dance. But as she matured as a dancer, Emma discovered her love for hip-hop and jazz. She became part of the dance team at North East Middle School for her 7th and 8th grade years.
As a member of the fall cheerleading team, she has been named“ Rookie of the Year,”“ Crowd Favorite,” and“ Best Dancer.” She has also served as cocaptain of the team for three years, and this year, she is captain of the team at North East High School. It’ s not surprising that Emma would become a natural leader, since she was selected for these awards by her coaches and fellow team members.
She also has helped contribute to the choreography for cheer, and at the annual North East High School Dance Symposium where the dance team presents their routines.
“ I’ m creative and dance is a great way to express yourself!” explains Emma.“ I like that with the dance team, even with set choreography, we’ re able to be creative and express our own style through the movements.”
She also notes that being a member of the cheerleading and dance teams helps alleviate a lot of stress, because it’ s a fun activity where she can relax and be with friends.
Emma’ s mom, Holly, is proud of her daughter’ s accomplishments.“ I’ m always impressed at the ease with which she learns the routines. She can tweak any movement to make it work for others. And she’ s extremely teachable.”
Emma would love to dance at the university level, although she does not plan to major in dance education. She loves creative writing, and hopes to be a teacher focusing on English, writing and literature.
One important life lesson she will take away from her dance and cheerleading at North East is finding confidence and camaraderie in her endeavors.“ I was really nervous to try out for the teams in my freshman year. But the coaches and team members really take you under their wing, and it’ s been a never-ending support system.” n
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