Madison Chalese Cavaness began dancing when she was five years old at K.C. Dance Company in West Jordan, Utah, studying Tap, Jazz and Ballet. When she was fourteen she discovered Ballroom when she joined the Elk Ridge Middle School Ballroom Team. Starting in September 2009 she danced as part of the UDA Ballroom dance company with Utah Dance Artists in South Jordan until she graduated from high school in May 2012. From August 2012 to May 2017 she attended Utah Valley University with an academic scholarship where she received a Bachelors of Science in Movement Studies with an emphasis in Ballroom dance. She took several classes in dance technique and theory including Modern dance, Ballet technique, Dance History, and all levels of International Latin, International Ballroom, and American Social Ballroom technique classes. She was a member of the Utah Valley University Ballroom Dance Company for three years performing with the Advanced Backup Team under the direction of Lori Hicks, Tara Boyd and Ryan DiLello and the Backup Tour Team under the direction of Chris Witt. While with the company, she was able to perform in several concert pieces as well as several on campus performances. Madison has competed in several Dancesport competitions, placing first in Cha Cha in 2012, third in American Hustle and third in International Waltz in 2015, and third in American Waltz in 2014. In Fall 2016 Madison was chosen to present her research paper, “Dance and Class in the Great Depression,” at the March 2016 conference of the Utah Academy of Science Arts and Letters. The paper focused on dance during the Great Depression and how the movie musical was used by the upper class. She is currently working on getting the paper published. Madison currently volunteers as the Assistant Director of the Elk Ridge Middle School Ballroom Team. She is thrilled to be back working with director, Megan Rees who introduced her to the art form.
Curriculum Vita
Teaching Statement
For as long as I have been dancing, I have always wanted to teach. I have always believed that every student deserves to have at least one experience with the arts. As far as I can remember, all I have ever wanted to do was teach young dancers to love the art form that is dance as much as I do. To teach them to find their drive and desire to dance and thereby express themselves on a level unlike any other. It is my desire to teach students how to use and appreciate that body that they have been given. Too often, young dancers are full of self-doubt and unsettling animosities towards multiple aspects of their bodies. It is my desire as a teacher to help students create stronger self-esteem and a more positive self-image. I want to teach young Ballroom dancers how to respect one another and how to create successful relationships on and off the dance floor. While training with KC Dance Company, I was asked to be a teacher’s assistant. I said yes without hesitation and I experienced my first taste of teaching. In 2015 I was asked of to be the Assistant Director of a new Ballroom team at Elk Ridge Middle School, where I attended as a student. I served as the Assistant Director/Choreographer for two years. Now, as the Assistant Director of the Alta High School Ballroom Team, I work with students to improve their technique and clean choreography for a variety of performances and competitions. As a teacher, I believe that every student deserves to have their own experience with the arts. I believe that it is necessary to expose young minds to the artistic world, allowing them to explore different mediums, hopefully coming to a medium that fits their own life purposes. While most students are not likely to focus future careers on the arts, I believe that it is still a necessary part of one’s upbringing to be exposed to and gain an appreciation for the arts. Dance can serve as an excellent medium to introduce to any student new to the arts. It allows for them to focus their creativity into something they do naturally: move. I seek to instill in students a creative, moving spirit that allows them to explore their moving bodies in a safe environment that cultivates creative growth and knowledge. Giving young minds a new outlet for creativity and experiencing the world around them, that is what I seek to do as a teacher.