Eighteen-year-old Bermudian dancer Amani Walker recently travelled to perform with the arts group TROIKA to the National Black Theatre Festival in North Carolina. Amani spoke to The Royal Gazette about her experience and more.Q: Describe your experience at the National Black Theatre.A: It was a great experience to perform off of the Island and to see how things work off the shores or Bermuda. We got to meet new people, some important people I may add, as well as network with different people while at the festival. Many people had heard about us, as we did a small preview at a church we attended. The word spread and people loved us. Everyone was very kind and we were kind of famous just because we were from Bermuda. We had great feedback from the audiences that came to watch. I had a great time and if I could relive it, I definitely would!Q: How would you say you’ve grown since this overseas performance?A: I would say I’ve grown as a performer as well as a person. In this performance I also had to not only dance, but sing and act as well, therefore I had to adapt. On the last night, Larry, our director, told us to “leave everything out there on the stage tonight; don’t take any of it home with you tomorrow. Give it everything you’ve got!” And as a performer, that is what you should do, leave everything on the stage and that is what I learned, to just give it your all and do not hold back. You have to push yourself.Q: What inspires you to dance?A: What inspires me to dance is the feeling I get while I’m dancing. I feel free and happy. There is no better feeling than being on stage or in the studio enjoying myself and having fun while doing something that I love. My parents give me their support as well. They push me to be the best that I can be and I am more than thankful for that. I also have the support of my dance teachers as well as friends and family. They all believe in me 100 percent and that is all the drive I need.Q: How long have you been dancing?A: I have been dancing since the age of three at the Somerset School of Dance. There, I take part in ballet, pointe and jazz classes. I did not always have this love for dance, but one day it hit me that this was what I loved to do.Somerset School of Dance runs on the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, therefore every June examinations take place at Somerset. An examiner comes down to grade you on the syllabus that you had learned for the year. Year before last I took my second Major examination, Advanced Foundation, as well as my final Grade examination, Grade 8. I passed both of these examinations, but I passed my Grade 8 with a distinction, as well as the highest examination mark for that year. This year I passed my Advanced 1 examination. This was a two-year syllabus; therefore I did not take an exam last year.I also like to do various dance workshops such as Groove, which is putt on by TROIKA Bermuda, Bermuda Glee, and I also took part in Dance Bermuda a few times, which is put on by the National Dance Foundation. I am also a member of Krazed Ego, a hip-hop dance group.We performed at Christmas Parade as well as 24th of May and other small performances.Q: What is your most memorable performance?A: My most memorable performance was last summer in TROIKA’s Work In Progress #4: Once on This Island. We had so much fun putting on this play here in Bermuda and it was certainly something new for me as this show also involved singing and acting. The director, Steve Huntsman, came down from overseas with his family, including his wife Sandra, the costume designer for the show, to help put on the production. It was a tough eight weeks’ worth of hard work, but it surely paid off. I would love to do that show over just one more time!Q: Which dance movement is your favourite. Explain.A: My favourite movement would be contemporary/ modern. Where ballet is very strict, modern and contemporary allow your body to move more freely and really let go. Do not get me wrong, I still love my ballet technique classes.Q: What do you feel when dancing?A: As stated before, when I dance I feel very free. When I dance, whether in the studio or on stage, I tend to forget the outside world and just live in that moment.Q: Who are your dancing inspirations?A: My dancing inspirations are Kathryn McCormick as well as Eric Bean Jr.Q: What are your future plans concerning your dance aspirations?A: My future plans are to leave this September for college and go to Middlesex University in London. There I will be studying dance performance. After college I would like to join a company and dance professionally. Teaching and doing choreography are also options for me.Q: If you could give any encouragement to a young person who is passionate about dance, what would you say?A: I would say go for it! Live your dream. The journey will be tough, but if you love it, it will definitely be worth it. Do not give up. No matter what anyone says, just believe in yourself. You can do it!Useful websites: www.troikabda.com and www.nbtf,org