{"id":20112,"date":"2024-04-01T10:57:44","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T15:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/?p=20112"},"modified":"2024-04-01T11:55:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T16:55:38","slug":"student-spotlight-abi-mckinney-aiming-for-performance-career-after-she-earns-dance-science-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/01\/student-spotlight-abi-mckinney-aiming-for-performance-career-after-she-earns-dance-science-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Abi McKinney Aiming For Performance Career After She Earns Dance Science Degree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Abi McKinney knew at age 7 that she wanted to be a professional dancer. Now, as a senior Dance Science student in the Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, she\u2019s another step closer to making that dream a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKinney, a Richmond, Virginia native, traveled around the country to take part in dance competitions in her youth. The freedom of the art form is what drew her in, the feeling of being able to let go and embrace the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDance has provided this sort of outlet for me \u2014 both emotionally and physically,\u201d she said. \u201cI have always had a hard time communicating my emotions and feelings. Dance has helped me through not only being physical and active and feeling good in my skin, but also feeling mentally healthy and doing something that I have dedicated my whole life to. It\u2019s freeing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing to pursue dance full-time came with its challenges, she said. One of the hardest aspects of the artform is trying to maintain a balance in your everyday life, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are pushed to your limit, both physically and mentally,\u201d McKinney said. \u201cBut once you achieve those things, that is obviously the best reward because you believed in yourself, and your community around you believed in you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKinney has been trained in classic styles including ballet, tap and jazz, and she also enjoys hip-hop, contemporary and jazz-funk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She has performed in the Student Choreography Showcase, the annual “Perpetual Motion” concert and at the recent Regional High School Dance Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n