DARE TO DREAM
By: Stephanie Battle

When I was 12 yrs old I was told by an orthopedist that I would never be a professional dancer. I had severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and had to be braced from neck to hip until I was 21. Well, I had already done 3 Nutcrackers and had been taking ballet from the time I was 6. I knew my path early and was an extremely determined child. So I exercised my will and set out to prove this doctor wrong! I wore this brace 23 hours a day with only an hour out to bathe for the first few years. I learned how to ride a bike, hike and run with the brace. And when the doctor began to decrease my hours in the brace because of improvement, I stayed in the brace longer.

Six years later, still wearing the brace about 12 hours a day I set out to attain a Bachelors degree in Modern Dance from the University of the Arts. I'm blessed to be able to say that I've lived my dream!

I received my BFA. I went on to perform on Broadway, at Carnegie Hall, at The Paris Opera House and across 4 continents.

Movement saved my life...the movement of my will, of ideas and dreams, of my spirit and of my body.

In May 2010 I received my 200 hr yoga certification expanding my knowledge of the movement of the body and of the spirit. Compassion, breath, focus, expansion, grace, love, determination and peace...all yogic principles had been in my life, serving me for as long as I could remember. And it's my passion sharing dance and yoga with my community!

I'm currently teaching Gentle Yoga to active adults and seniors at a church in NJ where I grew up, and where my Mom and Dad also participate in class. The role that dance and yoga has played in my life has come full circle. There's nothing more empowering than sharing a gift with your family and community that gives right back!

Every spirit can dance. Every mind has the ability to focus. And every body can move with grace and intention.

 Namaste.

 

STEPHANIE BATTLE is a New Jersey native currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. She has a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and is a certified yoga instructor in the Vinyasa Yoga tradition. Stephanie has danced with several modern dance companies, including Urban Bush Women and The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble affording her the opportunity to work with such noted choreographers as Milton Myers, Ronald K Brown, Donald McKayle, Dianne McIntyre and even Katherine Dunham. Working with UBW director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, she was encouraged to explore all aspects of theater, as the company’s repetoire was fertile ground for this kind of exploration. She was given the opportunity to utilize her talents not just as a dancer, but as a vocalist as well. She was later cast in the Broadway production of The Lion King, stretching her experience as a concert dancer into the musical theater arena. Stephanie went on to perform in such productions as The Temptation of St Anthony, (Robert Wilson, dir. Bernice Johnson Reagon, librettist) Showboat at Carnegie Hall (Francesca Zambello, dir Paul Gemignani, md Robert Longbottom, choreo.) and Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel at The Alliance Theater.(Louis St Louis, md Hope Clark, choreo.) among others. When not on the road she enjoys sharing her knowledge and joy of  movement through teaching dance and yoga. She currently works with an outreach organization called EKO Arts, which brings the arts into high schools and community colleges as a way to create leadership, promote self esteem and focus giving rise to self empowerment. www.betterfly.com/stephsyogamotion facebook/stephanie battle .