Leila Yoshida enrolled in her first dance class at the age of 18 months and has never looked back.
“Dancing is my favorite thing ever. When I dance, I feel so happy,” Leila says. Now at 8 years old, she is enrolled seven hours a week in classes at two dance schools. She takes ballet at Southland Ballet in Irvine and is also enrolled at South County Dance for jazz and technique classes. Through Southland, she was given the opportunity to participate in their annual performances of “The Nutcracker” at the Barclay Theater in Irvine. Last year, in her first “Nutcracker” show, she was an angel, and this year, she will participate in “The Nutcracker” as a mouse.
This past summer, at the end of the dance season, Leila was awarded the Academy Dancer of the Year award by South County Dance. This is the top award given to dancers in the school’s Academy Division, which is separate from the Competitive Division of the dance school.
Leila says she is grateful for her independent study schedule. The flexibility afforded by independent studying allows time to train at the dance schools and complete her required schoolwork. She is able to work on school projects during the early morning, evenings, or even during waiting time between dance classes. It also allows her enough time to incorporate additional training in yoga and pilates to further develop and refine her dance technique.
While her main goal is to dance professionally, Leila has set a few short-term goals for her dance endeavors. The first is to be cast as Clara, the principle role in “The Nutcracker.” The other goal is to compete regionally with South County Dance’s premier dance team.