Shaunna Vella's artist profile inspires numerous reflection questions for young dancers.

1. Performing

As Shaunna described her first 5 years after college, she wrote: "Performing!!!! I really wanted it!!!" While this might appear humorous, it actually gets to a very important topic. Still in 2013, we hold the ideas of performing and being a performer as the big goals in modern dance. But, is this still true? Is this the "big goal" for you? Where does your passion lie? This is frequently an unspoken topic. I encourage you to spend some time journaling and reflecting on this. How do you feel about performing? Do you have the passion, drive, and perseverence as Shaunna describes to get performance gigs? What are you passionate about in dance? What do you love? What are you good at? 

2. Teaching

Re-read Shaunna's advice to young dancers on teaching. What are the take aways from this section? Consider two action steps you might try in the near future. Write them down.

3. Career Path

Building on your ideas from question #1 about performing, journal some more about your career path. Shaunna posed the idea of "honing in on what is true for you as of right now." As you read in her post, her dance life includes teaching, taking class, performing, choreographing, and doing administration for non-dance organizations. Consider the many jobs/careers under the umbrella of dance. What are you passionate about outside of the dance world? As Shaunna suggested, what do you want in the next month, year, or as a long-term career goal? Spend some time journaling and listing ideas and dreams.