Dance Tribune: Setting the stage for local dance news

For the past year, a thought has continued to cross my mind: “I am going to get to a point where I need to choose which path I am going to take – dance or journalism – because eventually, I will not be able to pursue both.”

I have been dancing since I was 4 years old, and at my current age of 21, I am a dance minor, a member of my university’s dance team and a teacher at a local dance studio in Johnson City, Tennessee. Dance has always been a huge part of my life, and I cannot imagine that ending when I graduate from college in less than a year.
Writing has also been an important part of my life. I have said I wanted to be a journalist since taking Ms. Kinder’s journalism and creative writing class in seventh grade, but I do not think I truly realized why until this year.
Through writing and reporting experience I have gained from publications like the East Tennessean and Overlooked in Appalachia, I have realized how much I love listening to and learning about people, and how much I love telling their stories.
I keep thinking these two areas of my life are so different that it would be difficult to continue both in a capacity in which I would not have to sacrifice one of them in some way to fully commit to the other. However, I do not know why I keep telling myself that because I know I have the capability to accomplish whatever I set my mind to, as cheesy as it sounds.
While thinking about ways I could continue to balance both dance and journalism, it occurred to me that I have never attempted to connect the two. I have never written about or reported on dance, specifically. I think my knowledge of and experience with dance provides me with insight to write about the subject with more understanding than a normal person. There are several well-known dance publications in the U.S., and many of their writers have backgrounds in both dance and journalism. I also will not know whether writing about dance is something I am interested in unless I try it. So why not start now?
Though it may seem trivial, I spent a lot of time picking out the name for this publication. I went back and forth for a while, but the word “tribune” kept sticking out to me. Tribune has several meanings, one being a Roman official chosen to be a champion of the people and protect their interests, and the other being a stage or raised platform.
Dance, in the public eye, tends to revolve around big-name dancers and companies in bigger cities like New York City or Los Angeles, while smaller dance communities are rarely discussed. I want this publication to be a stage that shines light on local dancers, studios, schools and companies, and I want to give a voice to local dance communities.
I currently live in East Tennessee, but I plan to write about local dance-related news in Tennessee and surrounding areas, like North Carolina and Virginia.
I hope that through this publication, I not only learn more about my goals moving forward as both a journalist and a dancer, but I also hope to shed light on the prevalence of dance in local communities and inform more people about the artform.
Hopefully these two paths I have in front of me do not have to be taken separately, but rather they can come together as one road that leads me to life’s next destination.
Good luck Kate!! Can’t wait to see where you take the Dance Tribune!!
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Great idea! Go for it
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I loved reading this article. It sounds like a perfect idea to blend two passions into one project. A publication like this would bring joy and information to both the writer and the readers!
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