Help Cassidy Change Lives With Dance Thesis Fund
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Hi! My name is Cassidy Johnson, and I am an Honors Fellow at MTSU! In order to graduate from the Honors College at MTSU, I must complete an undergraduate thesis, part of which is to raise funds to cover the expenses of my project. I am a competitive ballroom dancer whose life was changed by the power of dance. This has had such an impact on me that I have decided to focus my thesis on it, and I have chosen to participate in the Millennium Dancesport Competition this summer as my major component! This educational endeavor involves me traveling to Orlando, Florida for the competition, journaling my experience, and interviewing people from a diverse group of dancers.
Titled “A Journey Through Dance”, my thesis focuses on both my journey with dance and the journeys of others through interviews. It explores how dance can provide medical benefits to your physical and mental health based on recent academic research, as well as the transformative power of the sport on a person’s life, including my own (as demonstrated by the photo above). After I began dancing, I lost about 100 pounds and overcame mental health issues like anxiety and social anxiety. Dance really was and is my saving grace. I used to have panic attacks just going through drive thrus or answering phone calls, now I get out in front of strangers, dance my heart out, and have a blast.
Millennium is one of the largest ballroom dance competitions in the country and is notable for its massive number of high-quality competitors and judges. It occurs mere weeks after my 3-year dance anniversary, and it is through this real-world experience that the skills I’ve been honing for three years are best tested. Experience is truly the best way to learn. I have never attended a competition of this size, as it is cost prohibitive for a college student (I usually work two or three jobs at a time as is to support my dancing). This trip is estimated to cost about $8000 for hotel, flight, costuming/appearance, entry fees, travel expenses, etc. It would mean the world to me to have your support as I pursue the capstone project of my undergraduate education and attempt to inspire the world through dance!
Titled “A Journey Through Dance”, my thesis focuses on both my journey with dance and the journeys of others through interviews. It explores how dance can provide medical benefits to your physical and mental health based on recent academic research, as well as the transformative power of the sport on a person’s life, including my own (as demonstrated by the photo above). After I began dancing, I lost about 100 pounds and overcame mental health issues like anxiety and social anxiety. Dance really was and is my saving grace. I used to have panic attacks just going through drive thrus or answering phone calls, now I get out in front of strangers, dance my heart out, and have a blast.
Millennium is one of the largest ballroom dance competitions in the country and is notable for its massive number of high-quality competitors and judges. It occurs mere weeks after my 3-year dance anniversary, and it is through this real-world experience that the skills I’ve been honing for three years are best tested. Experience is truly the best way to learn. I have never attended a competition of this size, as it is cost prohibitive for a college student (I usually work two or three jobs at a time as is to support my dancing). This trip is estimated to cost about $8000 for hotel, flight, costuming/appearance, entry fees, travel expenses, etc. It would mean the world to me to have your support as I pursue the capstone project of my undergraduate education and attempt to inspire the world through dance!
Organizer
Cassidy Johnson
Organizer
Murfreesboro, TN
