Hi guys! My name is Gabrielle Garcia and I am a 19-year-old college student at the University of Washington majoring in American Ethnic Studies and Communications with minors in Dance and Diversity. I am a proud Filipina American originally from the Bay Area, California.
I choreographed this dance to the song Candlelight by Zhavia Ward, which was inspired by my experience during this pandemic. Ever since I was a kid, I loved to dance! Dance has always been my escape where I could forget everything going on and just live in the moment. Dance has helped me cope with my anxiety as I focus on the movements and less on the fears running through my mind. When COVID-19 began to spread and the quarantine started, I started to get really bad anxiety attacks and went through a depressive phase. It got to the point where I thought about quitting dance because every time I tried to dance I would be reminded that we are in a pandemic and would start having an anxiety attack. I decided to reach out to my friends and family about what was going on and started to go to therapy to help me cope with my anxiety. Reaching out has been very helpful and I feel a lot better! I am happy to say I didn’t give up on my passion and was able to choreograph this dance and I am proud of what I created. This dance shows that there is always light even in the dark, and although it may not seem like it, things will get better. I want people to know they are not alone during these times, and if they feel anxious about everything going on, it is okay to get help and to reach out to others because you are not alone in this!
IG Handle:
@guppy_the)fish
