ROGERS — Arianna Phillips was made to attend dance class as a six-year-old.
But dancing has turned into a passion for the Rogers Heritage senior and a safe haven from her troubles.
Phillips spends hours upon hours working with the Heritage varsity dance team or at Ballet Westside Dance Studio in Rogers. She even works after school at Ballet Westside prior to dance practice.
Profile
ARIANNA PHILLIPS
School: Rogers Heritage
Class: Senior
Height: 5-2
Notable: In her third year with the Heritage High varsity dance team ... Been a performing company member for seven years at Ballet Westside ... Selected as a Dance Olympus VIP in July of 2012.
“It’s pretty much my whole life,” Phillips said.
She enjoys being able to share her passion with the crowd at football games in Gates Stadium or during competitions. Phillips also gets to feed off the crowd’s energy.
“It’s so much fun to get the crowd pumped up,” Phillips said. “We get to share what we do with our school.”
A year ago, Phillips’ world was turned upside down when her sister was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Her family has also endured several other medical hardships over the past year.
However, one constant in her life has been dance and the people associated with the Heritage High dance team and at Ballet Westside.
“I was home by myself a lot, but I would go to dance and be with all my friends,” Phillips said. “I just kind of focused on dance more than anything.”
Heritage dance coach Jeannie Wilson said Phillips has emerged as a leader and even a teacher because of her added training.
“She helps others with their technique,” Wilson said. “She’s willing to teach and very patient as a leader. She’s just a great young lady.”
Wilson said no one could tell anything was out of the ordinary for Phillips on the surface..
“She had a lot of challenges it seems, but when you watch her you’d never know anything else was going on,” Wilson said.
However, Phillips acknowledged it was difficult coping with her family’s medical problems, especially since her parents were often taking care of grandchildren or going to doctor’s appointments with her sister and she was left alone.
Arianna’s mother, Melissa, couldn’t be more proud of her daughter and the way she’s handled herself over the past year. She’s also grateful for all her friends and coaches associated with dance.
“It’s been a great outlet for her,” Melissa Phillips said. “She enjoys it. She’s kind of been left out in the cold attention wise. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.
“She takes her frustrations and her worries, and she dances to deal with it.”
Arianna said dance has been an important part of her life, especially with all her family’s health problems.
“I think I probably wouldn’t have handled it as well without dance and my friends and coaches,” Phillips said. “It gave me an outlet to handle my emotions in a good way. I wasn’t completely alone all the time because I had dance.”
She spent quite a bit of time with Heritage classmate Bailey Brust and her family after dance practice. But the two also enjoyed a three-week adventure as both were selected as Dance Olympus VIPs while competing for Ballet Westside.
Phillips and Brust were among 15 selected for an apprentice type program, which allows young dancers to know what it’s like to be a professional. They spent three weeks in July working with professional choreographers in classes and also performing in Dallas, Chicago, Orlando and Omaha, Neb.
Phillips said the trip was enlightening and fun, but also challenging.
“It was physically hard at times,” Phillips said. “We would have classes starting at 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., then have to get on a plane to go to the next city.”
Dorothy Taylor, the director at Ballet Westside, said she’s watched Phillips become passionate about dance in the 11 years she’s been at the dance studio.
“She used to not be dedicated, and now she loves it here,” Taylor said. “She’s definitely matured and she’s a great role model.”