Owasso Dance Company: Born to Dance
By Alexia Sang
Gwen Tayman dancing. Photograph taken by Brandi Simons
I, like many young girls, was enrolled in dance at a young age, but I quickly realized that I had two left feet and about as much grace as Bambi on ice. Unlike me, junior Gwen Tayman and sophomore Hattie Davis were born to dance, and Owasso Dance Company (ODC) gave them an outlet to do so.
Hattie Davis, a sophomore at Owasso High School, has been dancing since she was four years old, and was on the ODC team before transitioning to the Owasso Varsity Pom (OVP) squad.
Davis contributes much of her success, both on and off the stage, to dance stating “dancing at Owasso Dance Company made me who I am today. It gave me so much self-confidence, and it was a way of expressing myself. Getting up on stage as a little kid and being able to perform and put myself out there helped me to believe in myself.”
Much of Davis’s childhood was spent in the studio, and some of her fondest childhood memories come from dancing at ODC.
Hattie Davis at her first dance recital
Davis recalls, “Some of my favorite memories as a kid are of sitting in the locker room at ODC in between classes and just talking with my friends. Whatever was said in that room, stayed in that room, and we all grew super close, almost like a family.”
Gwen Tayman, a junior who dances for ODC, OVP and a hip-hop group in Tulsa called Abstrakt Mindz, recalls how she first discovered her love for dance saying:
“My older sister is such an inspiration to me, and someone I look up to...she was a dancer. I remember being a little kid, sitting in the audience with my dad, watching her dance and just being in complete awe.”
When Tayman was old enough, her mother enrolled her in dance and she hasn’t stopped since.
Dance has become a passion for Tayman that she claims she couldn’t live without explaining, “No matter how my day goes, I know that if I just dance, whether that means actually going to practice or just putting in airpods and listening to music while dancing around my room, my day will get better. Dance is such a positive thing in my life, that I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
When most people think of dance, they picture tutus and ballet slippers, but it’s so much more. Dance is a combination of musicality and physicality that, especially for Tayman, doesn’t come without its challenges. Unfortunately, Tayman has sustained many injuries throughout the years, and her resilience in overcoming these obstacles is a testament to her passion and commitment to the sport.
Tayman states, “I’m very injury prone and there have been times where injuries have kept me from dance. I never want to be seen as a dancer that can’t do her job. Dance is something that I’m super passionate about, and it’s hard to not be able to do the thing you love, but everyone at ODC has been super supportive and helped me overcome my obstacles.”
Gwen Tayman (Left) with her older sister (Right). Photograph taken by Melissa Tayman
Not only has Tayman been dancing with ODC for years, but she also teaches there which has helped her discover her dream to become a dance teacher,
Tayman explains, “There’s something about helping younger kids find their love for dance and getting to see their face light up when they finally get that step or turn that reminds me why I love dance so much in the first place”
ODC is bringing art to our community, while encouraging creativity, movement, and self-confidence. They’ve inspired young girls and boys to step outside their comfort zones and given them an outlet to express themselves. The value of the arts has faded in today’s society, but ODC reminds us of the impact art can have on young minds.
Both Gwen Tayman and Hattie Davis serve as a vivid example of this. Tayman concludes, “No matter how my life ends up, I know that dance will be a big part of it, and I am super thankful for everything it’s given me.”