“I started modeling two or three years ago when I started dancing. I know a lot of people who do modeling, so it’s always been very interesting to me. But mostly it was kind of a side package with my hobby.

  Whenever we have a dance, we like to showcase it by doing a shoot for it. It’s basically a preview of the dance because we can show off the costumes and the style of the dance before people actually see it. For me, I always loved the ballet costumes because they have poofy dresses and nice makeup.

I really like it when I have multiple dances or multiple photo shoots with people because I get to hang out with them behind the scenes and get ready with them. For me, it’s a bonding experience that makes me feel a lot closer to the other people in my dances. Helping each other with details, offering encouragement, and making sure everyone is ready, always sets a comfortable tone behind the camera.

One thing that’s interesting is when we have a group photo and someone forgets a piece of their costume. It’s always a little stressful, especially because most costumes are custom-ordered, so there are no backups. Once, I accidentally left a hairpiece for one of my costumes at home. It could have been a big issue, but the rest of my team was incredibly supportive. That specific photoshoot was very memorable for me because everyone else decided to remove it to match since it wasn’t completely visible anyway.

I think anyone could do modeling if they really wanted to but it is always a little weird to have a camera in your face. There’s a lot of crazy setups that might be a little scary for some people. But it’s always cool to see how the professionals take pictures and the kind of equipment they use that makes you feel really confident. I think something about professional cameras makes your face look different than phone cameras. Looking back on it I would think, ‘I didn’t realize I looked like that in that photo’”