For senior Caroline Cole, dancing is not only a passion, but a way of life. Dancing almost since before she could walk, she is now not only preparing for her own future, but also preparing to pass down her skills to a new generation of underclassmen.

Cole began dancing when she was three years old, although she tried to pick it up when she was as young as two. “My sister took dance classes and I would…always try to take the class but they would kick me out because I was too young,” says Cole.

Her persistence finally gained rewards a year later. Adds Cole, “I started when I was three and I really tried to dance before I could even walk.”

When she became a Bengal four years ago, Cole picked up as many dance classes as she could in order to broaden her talents. She has been a member of Blake’s illustrious dance company for the past two years and has had a chance to participate in every one of Blake’s dance recitals. She joined the poms squad as a junior, using its choreographed routines as another chance to practice dancing.

Over the years at Blake, she has taken advantage of this profusion in dance opportunities as a chance to expand her horizons. She has personally performed a vast array of art forms, including ballet, musical theatre, tap, jazz, modern, point, lyrical, African, hip-hop, Indian and Chinese dance. “It’s athletic. I like to move,” says Cole. “At the same time, it’s an art form. It’s an expression in itself.”

These days, she uses her experience to help teach a younger generation. Interning in dance teacher Sandra Perez’s beginner jazz class at the suggestion of colleges she was applying to, Cole now often runs the class and helps the students in it to find their own style.

“I’ll try to help them out as much as I can,” says Cole. “I want them to all find their own style. I think that’s important.”

Adds Cole, “I’ve had experience learning from the teachers they’re being taught by, so I know how to say things so they’ll understand in a better way.”

She views it as a great experience and knows that it will help her in the future. “I’m still learning how to teach,” says Cole. She plans to major in dance at college and would like to use her experience teaching to help build on her dance skills as well as to prepare herself for college.

Cole has taken this lifelong experience in dance all in stride. “I love it. I’ve loved it all my life. It’s a passion.”