There is little that Ella Seng is more passionate about than dance. For the past twelve years, she has dedicated a large chunk of her life to dancing and performing. As a sophomore at Wilcox, this is her second year as a member of the Song Pom dance team and the Wilcox community as a whole. Although she takes part in other school activities and works hard to succeed in the seven classes she is currently taking, Ella is able to incorporate her love for dance throughout her daily life.
Ella was born in Santa Clara, California, and has lived here her whole life. She lives with her mom, dad, older brother, and her dog, Mochi. A hobby other than dance that Ella enjoys is baking, and her favorite recipe to make is Christmas sugar cookies with festive sprinkles. Occasionally, she will bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies and bring them to share with her friends at school — many of whom she has made through dance.
Ever since she started dancing at three years old, dance has become an incredibly important part of Ella’s life. When she turned six, Ella joined Dance Attack, the team she began to dance competitively with. The first type of dance she learned was ballet, but she eventually gained experience with countless types of dance, including jazz, hip-hop, tap, lyrical, and contemporary. Although she mainly does jazz, Ella’s favorite type of dance is lyrical.
Back when she was competing, Ella’s lifestyle was nothing if not busy. Every week, she had the same routine: she would go to school, then immediately after she would attend dance practice. Often, these practices would go for around three hours, and she would total around thirteen hours of practice every week. On weekends, she would take part in competitions and conventions that would often take the entire day. All of the work she put in during the week would be shown off during competitions, and afterward she would go out with her friends and family to eat. Once COVID-19 hit in her early middle school years, Ella ended up quitting competitive dance. “It was a lot,” Ella admits about her years in competitive dance, “but it was really fun. I miss competition a lot.” Once she’s in college, Ella plans to resume competitive dancing.
When Ella was in sixth grade, she joined the Santa Clara community dance team, which she stuck with through 8th grade. Now, she is a member of the Wilcox Song Pom dance team. Although she is still dancing every day, Ella admits that the transition to her high school dance team has been a very different experience than what she was once used to. As a member of the Wilcox dance team, Ella does a lot less public or competitive performances. Her dancing skills are instead channeled much more into school-related activities. The team performs at school rallies, and cheers at football and basketball games. Even though this is definitely a shift from what she is more accustomed to, Ella still enjoys being on the Song Pom dance team and plans to continue as a member of the team throughout her years at Wilcox.
Ella is able to employ her dance skills during school events such as Homecoming and Fantastics. Along with a few of her friends on the dance team, Ella helps choreograph dances for the Homecoming and Fantastics class competitions. She also teaches her fellow sophomores the dances, allowing her to grow closer with her class. Ella admits that the experience can be stressful at times, especially since she balances being on the dance team, academics, and class competitions. Still, she enjoys spending her time building a stronger connection with her class and being an active and helpful participant in Wilcox events.
Ella has certainly made a positive impact on the Wilcox community by channeling her passion, and leading with dedication, kindness, and hard work.
