Maisy Dunne ‘17 takes the stage at the West Coast Dance Explosion Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada. The murmur of the crowd transcends into silence as lights illuminate the stage. Dunne is about to perform a contemporary dance called “Rabid”. She eventually placed third as a soloist and ninth overall.

“[Dunne] has the right appearance, the right work ethic, the drive and a great support system at home,” dance instructor and choreographer Kylie Bannon said. “I can tell she’ll have a long career.”

Dunne discovered her passion for dance while in gymnastics. Her fear of flipping led her to focus more on floor routines and eventually quit gymnastics for dance entirely, Dunne said. This is only her third year dancing, but she has already decided that she would like to pursue it as a career.

“Her greatest strength is definitely her style,” Bannon said. “That’s what everyone notices right away and it works really well for her. She is extremely artistic and thought-out, and this is expressed through interpretive, stylized and energetic dances.”

Dunne spends 13 hours a week dancing, conditioning and rehearsing. Despite this exhausting schedule, she is constantly showing leadership and discipline as a dancer, Bannon said. Each day she focuses on building up strength and stamina, as well as drilling down each routine.

“My teachers are strict and they push us,” Dunne said. “If they weren’t like that I probably wouldn’t be good.”

On top of weekly practices, Dunne also attends open classes at studios such as the Millennium Dance Complex of Chicago and Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles in order to get her name out there, dancer Lauren Mochizuki ‘17 said.

“The classes were such an amazing learning experience,” Dunne said. “Being with so many different people and practicing at different levels taught me a lot.”

Dunne’s plan for the future is to take a gap year after graduating to focus on taking classes and making connections. From there she hopes to attend college with a dance major, and ultimately become a well-known choreographer.

After traveling with Bannon this past summer as her personal assistant, Dunne has gained essential experience for her future career. The pair traveled to Nebraska, Indiana and several local teams in Chicago to choreograph and teach master classes for all different genres.

“[Dunne] knows how to stand out, and I am constantly amazed by her endless positivity,” Bannon said.