by Steffani Carrera ‘14

It’s only 9 a.m. on a Saturday but senior Haley Nachlas is already warming up to practice her solo dance routine in the spacious studio at Savage Dance Company in Skyesville. Surrounded by fellow dancers, she follows a stretching routine, carefully moving to loosen up her muscles and prepare for the intense choreography.
Nachlas has been dancing since age 11, which is considered a late start in the dancing industry. Most performers typically begin dancing around five or six years old, however Nachlas’s technique has not suffered from such a late start. Dance teacher Nicole Savage notes that Nachlas has made much improvement in her dancing and technical skills, especially when one considers the short span of time in which the change occurred.
“Starting late, she missed out on all the fundamental things for technique,” stated Savage. “She has always been an innate performer; she has a great sense of artistry and performance so that’s where her strength area has always lied. However, in the last few years we have seen her technique really turn, and now I consider her a technician.”
Nachlas’s noticeable improvement is a result of her dedication to the sport; she spends anywhere from twenty to thirty hours per week in the studio, dancing, teaching, assisting and even working the front desk. She takes a variety of classes: Ballet, Modern, Hip-Hop, Lyrical/Contemporary, Tap, Technique and Point. “I know I spend a lot of time there but I don’t really mind … I love to dance,” commented Nachlas. This is her second year with an abbreviated schedule, as she needed time during her junior year to participate in Titans of Dance, a traveling convention that spanned several cities including Raleigh, Orlando and Detroit.