Bella Stazzone, a freshman on the varsity Purrfections, has been dancing since she was just two years old, taking ballet and tap classes. When she turned six, she had already begun to realize that dancing was her passion.

“I love to dance because it’s my escape,” Stazzone said. “With so much stress from school, it’s just a relief to do something I love. I have so much joy from dance, it makes me not only more positive but it gives me a more uplifting spirit.”

Beginning when Stazzone joined the West Shore dance team in seventh grade, she’s found that it can be a struggle to manage her dancing. Not only is it time consuming, but as much as she enjoys it, dance puts lots of pressure on her. The main reason for this is that Stazzone is on three competitive teams with Dance Mania Allstars, as well as the West Shore dance team.

“I have barely any time in my life anymore,” Stazzone said. “There’s so much pressure riding on my back to do well, when I just want to enjoy doing what I love. But at the end of the day, all the time and work is worth it.”

Although stressful, Stazzone knows what it takes to take her dance career to the next level. In the next two years, she hopes to be placed on the two most elite teams at her studio outside of school. Beyond that, Stazzone thinks she’ll want to continue her dance career on a college team.

“With all the passion and drive I have for dancing, I strive to continuously improve and grow,” Stazzone said.

By Macie Goldfarb