Isabelle can be described in many different ways. Working with her, I would describe her as amazing. I would describe her as a young woman who is highly intelligent and exquisitely beautiful in her natural state. She has a natural elegance in her natural state and I immediately thought she had been involved in modeling in her past with her ease in front of the camera. She hadn’t; however she very easily could be.
Isabelle, or “Izzy” as friends and family call her, is a creative soul and one of the things that she loves to do is to paint. She was proudly wearing different colors of paint on her hands and clothing when she arrived at our pre-consultation appointment. It was great! She has a soft, but assertive presence and says that being kind if one of the most important qualities to have. Being respectful is important to her, “no matter what.”
A self-proclaimed ‘home-body,’ Isabelle enjoys many things in life. One internal value that she carries with her on a day-to-day basis is a desire to feel productive. This may be why she enjoys being involved in a number of activities and balances it with home-time.
Isabelle is extremely proud of her accomplishments in life so far. She explained that she has trouble with her ankles and that dance has helped push her in her abilities. She is involved with Julie’s Dance Studio on State Street and is not only a dancer, but also assists the younger ones learn the craft.
Isabelle says that she has suffered from complications with her ankles and toes, so she is not certain if her dream of becoming a professional dancer can be realized (which is why she’s not able to engage in pointe dance), however she plans on attending SUNY Canton after graduation to become a Physical Therapy Assistant. If you have ever seen her perform on stage, she is an incredibly dynamic dancer. Watching her dance, you cannot help get the feeling that she feels completely at ease and free when she dances.
She loves it so much that she is involved in jazz, tap, dramatic, duet, quartet, AND a solo. She practically lives and breathes dance!
In fact, of her most proud accomplishments that she has talked about, being able to do a split and a high kick top her list. You can see the joy and pride in those abilities below.
Izzy is also involved in Cheer, which she says sometimes confuses her techniques in her jumps. When you are holding pom pons your hands are fists; in dance, you have dance hands. Similar with the feet; the feet positions during jumps are different. I remember Julie Hooper saying that jumps are also more challenging with dancers who participate in ice skating as well due to the footwear and positioning of feet during those.
Isabelle is a slight, young woman with a petite frame and large grin. One adjective that she says that people use to describe her is “happy.” I cannot disagree. If she had any discontentment within her during our session, it never came to see the light of day. She is just a happy-go-lucky young girl with a brilliant future ahead of her. She has said that she is proud of having the ability to not care what other people think about her. She is not concerned with what is currently in fashion or what the latest trends are. She wears what she likes if she thinks it’s cool or if it’s her. She likes to do her own thing and is very comfortable doing it. What an amazing young woman!
Isabelle says that two things that people compliment her on often are her hair and her smile. Check! She has subtle dimples on both sides of her face that reveal themselves more prominently in times of joy or laughter. Her favorite feature? Her freckles! She says that she loves them, but they tend to disappear.
Her favorite movie is “Bridesmaids.”
Her favorite clothing store is a Canadian shop called “Garage.”
If she was to have a theme song, it would be, “Magic” by Bruce Springsteen. In fact, her solo song for recital this dance year will be “Secret Garden” by Bruce.
Isabelle has a natural beauty about her. She does not wear make-up and she does not need to. She has clear skin with a rosy complexion that people would trade their souls to have. Although she describes herself as somewhat shy, she does not let people push her around and is keen on doing the right thing.
The furthest that Isabelle has ever traveled has been to Florida. The places that she would love to travel to include the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Bora Bora. I sense that she will make it to those places.
She says that she loves to read as well, and she reads a wide variety. Currently she is reading a romance novel, a comedy, and she is reading up on the Holocaust!
When asked which Scooby-Doo character she thinks she most resembles, she said that although she always loved Daphne (because she wore purple); she probably is the most like Scooby himself. She says that she loves to eat and she is scared of everything. This young woman could easily be Daphne but with the awesome personality of Scooby? Daphne Doo?
My definition of a hero is someone who is able to act in the face of fear. Being afraid of things is normal; being paralyzed by them happens to many of us - but being fueled by them is heroic.
Speaking of heroes, I asked Isabelle who hers is.
She said without a doubt that her mother is her hero. The thing that she admires the most about her mother is that she is strong. She said that her mom has been through a lot and still manages to remain a kind and caring woman. Those are some of the same values that Isabelle seems to also possess.
Isabelle and her mother Heidi. Two strong and independent young women.