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Published on 11/10/1999 All articles from this issue

Love of dance keeps St. Francis senior focused

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Student Profile

Name: Lyndsay Campbell

School: A senior at St. Francis High School in Mountain View.

Interests: The Los Altos native said she enjoys nothing more than dancing. Campbell has been studying jazz, hip hop, tap, ballet and other dance styles at the Marti Bigeau Dance Studio in Los Altos since she was four.

"Dance is a way to express yourself," she said. "I just love it. School and dance is all I do." Campbell added, she doesn't need an audience, "I just love to dance."

Despite a weekday schedule that she said includes both teaching and taking dance lessons, Campbell takes advanced classes at St. Francis and has been on the honor roll all through high school.

"I've learned to be really organized and manage my time well," she said.

Highlights: Campbell, now 17, began teaching classes this year at the studio, becoming the youngest instructor ever to teach at the school. She choreographs routines and teaches dance techniques in 11 classes a week for children in grades 1-3 and 7-8.

Her cheerleading team performs Dec. 18 at halftime of Stanford's football game.

"I've always done other people's work, so it's really exciting to see my own work," she said about the halftime routine she choreographed.

In addition to teaching, Campbell has achieved recognition for her dance performances, too. She qualified for the Nike- endorsed "Future Shock" team, which toured locally. She has performed as the lead dancer in an opening act at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View and all over California as a member of the competition team at Marti's studio.

Philosophy: Campbell said dancing has kept her focused and has helped her to be confident and express herself.

"I went through a period when I was unsure of myself and I didn't know if I wante to dance anymore," she said. "Marti helped me through everything ... I want to be the person to do that for someone else."

"I Hope dance is a way for them to feel confident about themselves in an alternative way and be their own person without conforming. My goal is to make my students feel like they're doing a wonderful job."

Plans: Campbell said she plans to study dance after she graduates. "I don't know if I want to perform," she said. "I think in the long run I want to do what I'm doing now. I love working with kids. I want to own a studio one day."