Marisa Garcia is a sophomore majoring in a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance here at West Texas A&M University. Garcia is from Corpus Cristi, Texas, and has found herself a family here on campus, specifically through the dance community.

Garcia’s passion for dance began as a child when she fell in love with it. After being inspired by dancers on tv, such as on Disney Channel and other stations, Garcia instantly knew that was what she wanted to do. So much so that she would tell her family she would be dancing for a big audience one day.

“I had gone away from dance for a long time, from middle school all throughout high school, I completely stopped,” said Garcia. “But when I joined my musical theater’s one act which is common in Texas, I realized that I needed to do it as a career.”

Despite Garcia taking a brief hiatus from dance, she still finds herself knowledgeable and confident in all styles, such as ballet, tap, lyrical, jazz, lyrical jazz, contemporary and modern. Although dancing in all these styles, Garcia’s all-time favorite would be musical theater jazz.

“I did more of the show route. I did a lot of shows like ‘The Nutcracker,’ ‘Wizard Of Oz,’ ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘Snow White’ and ‘Swan Lake,'” said Garcia. “I did a bunch of big productions where rehearsals were in and out from age 5 through 14.”

Garcia came to WT because they went to a dance festival she was a part of, which was her first time dancing in years. After meeting Edward Truitt, Professor of Dance, she learned a lot of information at WT’s annual “Dance Day” for incoming first-year students to get an idea of what pursuing dance as a major can be. However, WT gave her another sign when it was the first school she had heard back from and was accepted into.

“When I graduate from here, I want to audition to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader,” said Garcia. “Once that goes off, and I have a name for myself, I want to be able to go to New York City and audition for companies to eventually be on Broadway.”

Considering WT is a relatively smaller university, it allows the dance program to have more one-on-one time since the class sizes are small. Similar to other dancers at WT, Garcia finds the one on one time to get corrections, apply them and be able to perfect the piece.

“My favorite part is the way it makes me feel and the way I can make someone else feel. It’s just really powerful and I don’t think people notice it enough,” said Garcia. “Once you get on stage and you know that this can be someone’s first time or their last time at the show, you always want to make it meaningful for you and the audience.”

Garcia believes everyone should follow their dreams no matter what others say.

“If you want to do something, listen to yourself and not everybody else. In reality, it’s your choice,” said Garcia. “Being successful is hard work; so much as you put into something, as much as will come to you.