Imagine that you’ve just had a long day at school– maybe you had a super important exam, or you’ve been assigned hours of homework, or you’re just tired and want to take a nap– well, none of that matters right now, because you’re about to spend the next three hours at dance rehearsal, and won’t even get to start your schoolwork until you get home. That’s how it is for Hailey Frank ‘22, who finds dance completely worth the trouble.

Since the age of five, Frank has been dancing at Nolte Academy of Dance. Here she practices several styles of dance, including ballet, contemporary, modern, and jazz. She is part of Affect, Nolte’s competition team, and spends a grueling 14 hours a week at dance practice.

Despite dance taking so much time out of her schedule, Frank describes it as her “peaceful place.”

“It’s where I can feel comfortable and safe. It’s like my safe space, after school. But it’s a way to just get all my energy out, [and] any stress I have,” Frank said.

Dance has helped Frank make friends, since she’s an introverted person. “Having to be with those people, fourteen hours a week, really helped me connect with them,” said Frank.

The fondness for friendships made in dance is mutual between Frank and her friends. One dance friend of Frank’s, Abigail Schley ’22, believes she can truly be herself at dance, when she is around like-minded people. “It’s something about the dance community that brings everyone so close together,” Schley said (in an email response).

Another friend, Sadie Floss ’22, also has made many of her friends through dance. “With dance it’s easy to become friends because we all have something in common,” Floss said (also in an email response).

Frank is involved with Nolte’s Nutcracker production, which happens every December. In fact, last year, she was cast as Clara, the lead. 

“When the cast list came out I got cast as Clara, who is the main character, and when I found out I was like, exhilarated. I was so excited and I remember the first performance… it was my first time partnering, doing all these really cool things as the first time for a lot of things, and just being able to experience that,” Frank said.

For Frank, the experience of performing on stage is unlike any other. “You get such a rush when you’re on stage– everything goes by so fast and you don’t think about the choreography, you don’t think about the steps,” Frank said. “For the second half of the Nutcracker Clara sits in the back on the throne for about an hour… I got to watch all my friends dance in front, and it was just really amazing to be able to experience that.”

When Frank is performing, it is not only a unique experience for herself, but also for those in the audience. Schley said, “I love watching Hailey perform– she grabs your attention on stage and tells you a story, which I find to be extremely inspiring.” 

Floss shares the same opinion. She mentioned Frank’s enviable technique and grace. “Watching her dance is incredible… Both when she’s dancing and when she’s not, she is very calm and confident,” Floss said. 

Frank currently helps with classes for younger children at Nolte, and would consider continuing to teach after high school. However, having her own choreography on a stage is at the top of her bucket list. “I want to put my own piece on stage someday, even if it wasn’t at Nolte, if it was somewhere else, but putting my own piece on the stage would be really cool,” Frank said.