My name is Sari Schlonsky and I am pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing through the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. I am a fourth generation Buckeye, born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I began dancing when I was two years old when my Mom thankfully placed me in a ballet class at New Albany Ballet Company where I would begin a long career of intense classical ballet training. Prior to attending Ohio State, while I had training in modern, contemporary, and jazz, I was above all else a ballerina. I performed many prestigious roles such as Clara, Dream Clara, and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Esmerelda in Act II of Esmerelda, and the Italian Princess in The Little Mermaid. I also performed in a contemporary ballet piece titled Aubry Variations, choreographed by Christine Mangia, which was selected as a New York City Finalist in the Youth American Grand Prix. Over my summers during high school, I attended ballet intensives twice at Houston Ballet Academy, twice at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and once at Orlando Ballet School.

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Throughout high school however, I found that my passion for modern and contemporary was growing exponentially. When I was applying for college, I felt that it was time for me to not say goodbye to ballet, but rather to take a breath of fresh air and leap into a field that I am more curious about and more intellectually challenged by. Ohio State’s dance program lent itself to be the perfect fit for my endeavors. At first at Ohio State, I loved the contemporary aspect of the program, but deeply missed the more technical ballet aspect of my dancing. However, I have learned that while ballet might not be my current focus, it is still very much so a part of who I am and very much so influences my dancing in contemporary classes. I feel that I do have a unique way of moving because of my background with ballet. I am able to quickly grasp new concepts and embody choreography with ease. I am also a very aware dancer due of years of learning how to successfully dance with a corps de ballet. A distinct quality of my movement is my focus which I use not only to bring the audience’s attention to intricacies in my movement, but to make my movement more personal. One of my favorite aspects of my movement is that I am able to embody different qualities, textures, and weights because I enjoy physicality and dynamics.

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In the future, I hope to keep dance in my life for as long as I can, no matter how my interests outside of dance shift and morph into new ideas. At this point in my college career, I do feel that I am unsure of my future plans during college and after it. I am extremely intellectually curious and I therefore difficult for me to limit myself to only a few subjects of interest. I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can during college, so I plan on letting this goal drive me to my more specific passions in life. Ultimately, I am very thankful for my experiences in college thus far, and am curious to discover how I grow and change in the coming years.