My Dance

A photoessay by Tuan Pham.

Amelia Barksdale-Patterson is a junior in the college of Architecture. She will be performing with Virginia Tech's Contemporary Dance Ensemble for their spring performance, which is April 18 at 7:30 in Haymarket Theatre, Squires.

My favorite thing when watching dancers is to see, through the movement and their expressions, the joy they have while they are dancing.

People say they love watching my face because they see that I am really loving what I am doing. That's the wonderful thing about dance: the only thing I think about is dancing, the movement and connecting with the dancers around me. It keeps me sane. I think about how wonderful it feels to be doing the moves.

I would love to have an opportunity to continue dancing after I graduate. I would love dance part time, and not as a profession.

I get such joy that I want it to be an outlet, not the way I am earning my living. I want it to be a part of my life for as long as I can.