Hannah Aicholtz dreams of dancing on Broadway.
Growing up in a competition studio, Aicholtz was trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop and pointe.
“I love being versatile,” Aicholtz said. “I would consider myself a contemporary jazz dancer, but I don’t feel out of place in the other genres.”
Aicholtz is heavily involved in the Wright State performing arts department. “Hairspray,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Grand Hotel” and “Oklahoma!” are only a few of the performances in which Aicholtz has danced, along with the annual Faculty Dance Concert.
“I have always dreamed of playing Cassie in a Chorus Line,” Aicholtz said. “She wants to dance and perform so bad, it’s the epitome of what a dancer wants. I love when dancers are the highlight of something.”
Aicholtz feels confident when she dances, but often finds it difficult to be as open in real life.
“My personality feels huge when I dance. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life, and I love the challenge of it,” Aicholtz said. “All the time you get to the point where you’re like, ‘I could just quit. This is hard.’ Then you have to get yourself out of it. That’s being a true artist; continually getting yourself out of that funk.”
Many artists struggle with worrying about their worth in the business. Remembering that she is worth something in the art of dance is something Aicholtz must do constantly.
“I took myself out of class just today and said, ‘Stop.’ I gave myself a pep talk. You can’t keep thinking that you’re going to fail because you have to change and think you’re going to succeed,” said Aicholtz.
Aicholtz believes that art is all about the mindset and the will.
“Once you find the will, you can keep going and can have the hope to progress,” Aicholtz said, shrugging off her jacket to dance.
Aicholtz danced naturally and with ease. She said she has found that being at WSU has taught her how to be an artist and to take ownership of her own progress.
The professors are also vital part of Aicholtz’s experience at WSU.
“They don’t spoon feed you like when you’re young at your dance studio where the teachers told you what is right and what’s wrong. Here, they’re not going to tell you necessarily what’s black and white and right and wrong.”
To Aicholtz, there is no one answer in art. “There are as many answers as there are people.”
