The grand drape opened.
Silhouettes revealed themselves from behind the shadows, their poses perfectly rehearsed. 
The crowd cheered and shouted names across the house as the music poured into the room.
In the center stood Senior Liz Bolden, sporting a high energy smile– ready to impress.
Bolden has filled many roles throughout her high school career here at Sunnyslope High School with an integral passion for growth.
Her primary focus on being a dancer has pushed her to become stronger everyday. “Dancing has given me the confidence to be able to do anything that I put my mind to–it sometimes makes me forget that I am deaf until my cochlear implants fall out,” said Bolden.
Bolden has grown up with deafness, learning to embrace it and incorporate it into her skill sets and love for creative expression.
She expressed that, “Being deaf is a disability, that all my life, I have struggled with. Learning was something I had to figure out on my own because I [knew] no one who was deaf like myself.”
In her freshman year, she started in the intermediate level of the dance program learning alongside her peers and Dance Instructor, MJ Causar.
Over the course of her time here at Slope, Bolden excelled further with her skills as each school year passed through lessons from MJ and constructive peer collaboration.
“I have only been dancing with MJ for three years now,” Bolden reflected, “I think my dancing is one of the limits I’ve broken for myself. Yet overall, I don’t think my deafness changed my dancing positively or negatively. I like to think that I worked hard just as any of the girls to be given the privilege of being on the team.”
Bolden has had the gift of being a part of the uplifting community that MJ has cultivated for her dancers.
As do many of the dance team members, she is grateful for MJ’s impact on her life.
“Thanks to MJ, I grew very quickly over the years,” said Bolden,
“I ended up making the performance team and I could not have imagined that I would make it there if I didn’t put as much work into it as I did.” When prompted to give advice to freshmen interested in the dance program, she heartened saying that, “Do not feel discouraged when first trying something new, just enjoy the moments and allow yourself to grow.”
Her favorite element of Slope dance has to be anything with tech rehearsals where she gets the chance to see everyone perform their pieces.
“In those moments, everyone forgets their problems and cheers for each other,” she remarked.
Outside of dancing, Bolden has ambition for her future career– mentioning going to college and getting on the path to becoming a firefighter or medical provider.
She has a coveted drive for success stating that,
“There is still a lot to do, but I’m willing to do the work.”
Liz Bolden is yet another exemplary student to come from Sunnyslope High School’s dance program, and we all cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next!
