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Barrhead teen receives dance scholarship

Some of the most well known professional dancers working today have studied at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, California and come this summer Ashlyn Preuss will be able to add her name to the list.
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Ashlyn Preuss will be heading to Hollywood, California and the Edge Performing Arts Center to participate in a series of dance classes.

Some of the most well known professional dancers working today have studied at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, California and come this summer Ashlyn Preuss will be able to add her name to the list.

Two weeks ago Preuss, 16, earned the scholarship to attend the school due to her strong performance at the Evergreen Dance Festival in Sherwood Park.

Preuss won high gold for here lyrical, contemporary and modern solos. She also took away the outstanding award for her performances in the lyrical and modern solo categories.

Preuss participated in the festival as part of a contingent from Xpressions Dance & Fitness Centre.

Last year at the same festival Preuss, won a similar scholarship to attend the Harbour Dance Centre in Vancouver, B.C.

Preuss described a lyrical dance combines elements of ballet and jazz while modern and contemporary dance is a style that tries to tell a story through the music.

Although Preuss said she doesn’t have a favourite style of dance she does prefer being a solo artist to an ensemble.

In her lyrical solo, Preuss danced to ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,’ by the Irish band Script.

“It is about a man who stands on a corner and waits for his one true love,” Preuss’ mother Melissa said.

For her modern and contemporary solo, Preuss chose to dance to a spoken word poem, A Girl in the Mask

“I always pick solos that I can relate too or that where I can tell a story about my life, so that when I’m on stage I can show those feelings and the connection that I have trough my performance,” she said, adding through A ‘Girl In The Mask, she was able to do just that. “It is about bullying and how a girl is afraid to open up to the world, so she tries to hide behind this mask.”

In addition to dancing, in the last two years, Preuss has decided to expand her horizons and pass on what she has learned to a new crop of dancers.

“Teaching is one of my favourite things to do and I really liked working with all of my students,” she said, adding she especially enjoys the choreography portion of instructing. “And all of my students totally blew me away this year, bringing home many awards, including a number at Evergreen.”

Preuss noted she personally also received multiple choreography awards this dance season.

In terms of future dance ambitions, she said she isn’t sure if she will pursue a career in dance, but in the foreseeable future, she will continue to perform and instruct.

“Wherever my life takes me the one thing I do know is that I want dance to be part of my life,” she said. “I have been dancing since I was four and I can’t imagine my life without it. Whether that means I continue to dance and perform or whether it is through teaching and choreography dance will be a big peace in my life.”

Preuss added she also is very excited to have the opportunity to take her understanding of dance to a new level by attending the Edge Performing Arts Center.

“They have the top instructors and choreographers, teach there and to have the opportunity to learn from these types of people is almost overwhelming,” she said.

As for how her mother feels about all of this, Melissa said it could be summed up in one word, proud.

“Dance is something I have always loved, and to see it my daughter love it as much as I do, I just can’t explain the feeling I get. I always have tears in my eyes when she performs — as a mother I can see how beautiful she is inside and out,” she said.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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