Dance Student Spotlight: Katelyn Frey

My name is Katelyn Frey, 16, from Philadelphia PA. I go to Broadway Bound Dance Academy.

@katelyn_jo_frey

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.

My mom took me to see the Nutcracker when I was 4 years old, and I fell in love with the dancing! I told my mom I wanted to be a ballerina. She signed me up for dance classes the next week, and then the rest is history! I’ve been dancing for 12 years, competitively the last 7 years.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?

Things have not always been easy for me. I definitely have had to work very hard. And there have been sacrifices to devote the time needed to dance. I’ve also had to change dance studios twice before I found my current studio, which is amazing. All the sacrifices and hard work have been worth it!

What personal limitations if any did you go through in your young career?

The pandemic has certainly been a challenge. Dance studios were closed here for several months. I was able to take dance classes by zoom, but it was not easy, especially since I had limited space to dance. It was very discouraging at times and hard to keep up my skills. But I’m very happy to be back in the studio and back to competing!

Has anybody ever tried to limit you on what you could do? If so how did you fight it?

While overall, my experience in the dance world has been positive, there has unfortunately been some negativity from other dancers and teachers. When someone tells me I can’t do something, it pushes me to work harder and prove them wrong.

How do you conquer negative talk?

I try my best to ignore it.

What is your favorite quote?

"The only person you should compete with is the person you were yesterday." - Original Author Unknown

So, what’s next? Any big plans?

I’m excited to be back competing this year and looking forward to the rest of the season and nationals this summer. Next year is my senior year of high school, and then I’ll be off to college, where I hope to continue dancing!