Sanya Sidhu
What companies/classes are you currently in?
I am currently a part of CATS, Elite Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Company, Hoofers, the Pre-Professional acting program, Tap Cats, and Pointe!
Do you remember your first dance routine?
In my first year of dance, I took a jazz and ballet class. I don’t remember the name of either dance, but, on the day of the recital, I accidentally forgot to bring a piece of my jazz costume. I was the center of the dance though, so it all worked out!
When did you start at Center Stage?
I started at Center Stage in 6th grade, at 11 years old.
What was your Center Stage journey?
At age 8, I started dancing at a different studio. They closed when I was in 5th grade, so I auditioned to be a part of Center Stage’s company the summer before 6th grade. This is where my Center Stage journey began! I was placed into the Jr. Cat 3 company after the audition. At the end of my first year, I auditioned to be a part of Mickey’s CATS and George’s Tap Cats company and was accepted. From there, I worked under Mickey as an apprentice before becoming a full CAT during my freshman year. Similarly, after working with George, I became a hoofer during my junior year. I had also been taking hip-hop classes with Lauren since I was an apprentice. I joined the hip-hop company once it was created and am now a part of the Hip-Hop Elite Company!
Why has it been worth all of the energy you’ve put into it and the sacrifices you’ve made?
When I first started dancing, I never realized what real commitment and sacrifice meant. I think I speak for a lot of dancers when I say that I have missed out on a lot of opportunities. I didn’t get to go to all the birthday parties or play sports with school friends (to be fair, I was never too great at soccer or volleyball, so maybe it was for the best). However, the feeling of being left out can become overwhelming when you are that young. Despite all of this, being on stage and performing was the reason I never second-guessed being a part of this company. As I got older, dance provided me with a way to forget about my thoughts and worries. When I dance, I can embody my emotions or portray someone else to make people feel something, and that is why it is worth it. As artists, we want to make audiences feel something, and I am so grateful to have been allowed to move people because there is no greater feeling than knowing that.
Dance has given me an outlet to express my emotions and grow as an individual, all while learning about myself in the process.
Do you do other outside of school activities?
I volunteer at various organizations including medical offices/clinics and tutoring centers. A portion of my high school career has also been devoted to fundraising for human trafficking awareness.
What is it that dance makes you feel that you don’t get from anything else?
Dancing brings me a limitless amount of joy. It has been there for me during the best and worst times of my life, enabling me to express myself through movement. When I dance, I enter a world where my everyday concerns don’t exist, my mind is blank, and muscle memory takes over. I leave every single part of my heart on the floor and hope for just one person to connect with my feelings. Those bonds made with audience members drive my every performance, each one bringing me joy.
I love that feeling right before I go on stage. Standing backstage, I find that the pressure I feel building is scary but also thrilling, similar to a rollercoaster making its slow climb to the peak. The announcer calls my entry to the stage, and I hear the audience clapping; I know I am at the highest point of the ride. A sudden calmness emerges, as the room goes quiet waiting for the music: waiting at the top of the coaster before the drop. I hear my music on the speakers, and I feel free in my second home, under the spotlight.
As an introvert, how difficult is it to be part of the pre-professional acting program? What were the biggest challenges and the biggest rewards?
The spring before I joined Center Stage, I auditioned and was accepted into Papermill Playhouses’s four-week Summer Acting Program. It was my first real experience with theater, and I fell in love with acting. I was so excited coming into Center Stage knowing its strong theater roots would allow me to continue pursuing this interest.
This was also around the time that I started middle school. Although I wasn’t changing school districts, it was still a really big dynamic shift for me. Everyone has that “awkward middle school experience” where you are figuring out how to make real friends and who you are.
Switching studios during this time where kids are known to be self-conscious and insecure only added to the difficulty that came with simply adjusting to the new studio environment.
For so long, I have claimed to be one of just a few colored dancers not affected by the lack of representation in the creative world. Looking back on it, this was a huge obstacle for me to overcome. My school and previous studio were small and very diverse, which made Center Stage’s community feel foreign. This was my first time being in a place where almost no one looked like me.
This racial difference, coupled with the fact that I was younger than most in the company, made it difficult for me to feel comfortable performing in my own skin. Before, I was the girl who never stopped talking and always had a smile on her face, but suddenly, I didn't recognize who I had become. I had become weak and let the fears that came with my race and age overpower me and my confidence. This affected me in my acting classes, and, eventually, my love for performing couldn’t withstand the feeling of not belonging.
Over the next few years, I started making friends (shoutout to Kailey!) and started breaking down the walls I had put up. My breakthrough with acting happened gradually, and all of the pieces started connecting the year before I was accepted into Pre-Professional. I played a really witty and funny cop, of which I don’t remember the name, and the character resonated with me. I translated her joy and entertainment into myself.
One of the biggest rewards of this experience with acting would be getting to play my favorite character, Ms. Marchmont, during the acting showcase this year. She was so hilarious, and I loved hearing the audience laugh at my lines! Additionally, I love being able to be a role model to younger performers of color. I am not embarrassed by my skin color and am proud of my Punjabi culture, all while withstanding the challenges that come with being a performer of color. I want to show and teach them that it is possible to do the same. The environment at Center Stage today is one filled with acceptance and love, and I know that our community will continue to grow and become better each day.
The zombie apocalypse is coming. Who are 3 people you want on your team?
The Rock
Tara Youngman
Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield specifically)
What are you proud of yourself for?
I am proud of my work ethic and the dedication I show to all my commitments. I am also proud of becoming a role model for the younger students- for becoming the people that I once looked up to. These individuals left such an impact on my life, and I hope that I am living up to their expectations every day.
What are your pet peeves?
when people ask me this question and I can’t remember any of my pet peeves
One of my friends has a list in her notes app of pet peeves and after this, I think I’m going to make and always have them handy.
2. drivers who honk at other drivers trying to make a left turn
There is an awkward left turn (my street to a much busier road) I have to make every morning on the way to school. On some days, I’m lucky, and there’s no traffic, but on other days. I’m stuck hoping and waiting for just one person to be driving slowly enough for me to get in. The turn itself is already stressful enough, and it gets 10 times worse when people start honking. Like, trust me, I’m not just waiting for fun, if I could go I would. We all have things to do and places to be, not just you ❤️
What are you irrationally afraid of?
Bugs. No part of me can deal with them, and I have no idea how to kill them. It could be a fly, and I’d still run away. Any time I see one I have to call my dad. I hope I make good friends at college who will kill them for me.
What do you wish you knew how to do that you can’t right now?
I wish I knew how to play an instrument well. I played the flute from 4th to 8th grade, but I was never any good. I was the last chair, like dead last (the worst one). I always joke that the artistry in me stops at my hands because I’m also terrible at drawing.
What’s next?
I will be attending Boston University in the fall and majoring in neuroscience on a pre-med track!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully, I will be out of residency and officially a doctor, potentially owning my own practice! I hope to still be dancing in some capacity and making memories surrounded by those I love.
Will you come back to visit Center Stage, or are you gone for good when you’re out the door?
Seeing as though my sister doesn’t graduate until 2027, I will definitely be back to visit!