2019 "FOCUS ON YOUTH":
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Dancer:
Claire Shubeck
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Photo Credit: Jennifer Archibald - Arch Dance Co.
Courtesy of: Kristina Zaidner Photography |
Claire Shubeck graduated from the Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains, NJ as a dance major. She also competed with Beyond Dance in Cranford, NJ and trained in ballet and pointe at Rahway Dance Theatre in Rahway, NJ. Next year, she will be attending Columbia University to study dance and neuroscience.
Claire has practiced all genres of dance but enjoys contemporary and modern dance the most. Her titles include 2017 Miss Star of Hope and 2019 Regional Miss Beyond the Stars. She has ranked numerously in the top five at dance competitions and even achieved this merit on an episode of Dance Moms (Lifetime). Claire was also a chair in her school's chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Each summer, she supplements her training by attending dance intensives, such as Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Peridance, ArchCore40 and Earl Mosley's Institute of the Arts. Her passion for dance has given her special performance opportunities, such as a soloist role in the Nutcracker, a political demonstration at the United Nations, and a Martin Luther King celebration at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center with Dance Theatre of Harlem. Claire has also used dance to raise money for cancer by choreographing for and performing in shows that benefit Friends of Colin and Dancers Care Foundation. Additionally, Claire pursues community service outside of dance, such as Relay for Life, Girl Scouts, and animal shelter supply drives. |
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Video Above: A Montage of Claire's Solo and Group Performances
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Photo Credit: Jennifer Archibald - Arch Dance Co.
Courtesy of: Kristina Zaidner Photography |
What do you try to inspire in others through your art? I try to inspire hope, happiness and passion in others with my dancing. I cherish every second that I get to dance, and I hope that my energy transfers to those who watch me. I want people to smile and feel uplifted when they see me on stage. My performance should show the audience how awesome it feels to do something that you love. When I was younger, people would ask me why I liked to dance, and I would respond that I liked the way it felt. I still love the way it physically feels to be stretched, flung and rebounded. People can connect to the physicality and textures of my movement in addition to the gestures that portray my experiences. |
