Discussing Dance Travel with Brown Ballerina Ambassador Madison Davis
Meet Madison Davis, an 18-year-old ballerina from Northern Louisiana. Madison is one of our many Brown Ballerina Ambassadors! At 8 years old, she started dancing at Carolyn’s Dance Land, where she still training under the direction of Carolyn Goodin. Madison is learning several dance techniques including jazz, tap, contemporary, contemporary ballet, lyrical, liturgical, en pointe, and hip-hop.
This month, the Brown Ballerina Blog has been focusing on dance travel, highlighting dancers who have traveled across the country and the globe, while sharing an in-depth look into their experience. In Madison’s interview below, she shared some of her favorite aspects of traveling, tips for other dancers who want to travel, and more!
Related: Discussing Dance Travel with Brown Ballerina Ambassador Cheyenne Kira
Photo: Madison Davis; shot by Robert Wright
Madison’s Experience with Dance Travel
Dance has opened so many doors for me and has allowed me to travel and see many different people and places. I have competed in Texas, California, Atlanta, and multiple places in Louisiana. Additionally, in Atlanta, I performed at the Power of Influence Awards ceremony as a tribute to Jermaine Dupri with four of my other dance sisters. I also had the opportunity to perform halftime at the Saints game and Pelicans game in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Benefits & Challenges of Traveling
The thing I love most about dancing or competing out of state is it allows me to see different dance styles. Learning different styles of dance will make me a versatile dancer and help me to adjust to anything thrown at me in an audition. Most of all, I get to travel and embrace new cultures. My biggest challenge when traveling is missing my family, my home, and making sure I have everything I need.
Hot Spots for Dancers
Out of all of the places I’ve traveled to, I would recommend Atlanta. Atlanta has so much to offer for African American dancers. It’s a huge entertainment city that offers a variety of opportunities in dance, film, and music.
Tips for Dancers Who Want to Travel
Tips I have for dancers wanting to study dance out of state is to practice hard and be determined. Dance can take you as far as you want it to; you just have to put in the work for it.
Follow Madison’s dance journey on Instagram!
Our Brown Ballerina Ambassador program is designed to create opportunities for young dancers in training to be seen as leaders and to eventually become mentors to other Brown Ballerinas in Training. To find out more about our ambassador program and how you can support it, visit our Ambassador/Mentorship Program page.
Note: This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.