Audrey Folk
I prefer to make art through others and as a collaboration.
Inspiration
I prefer to make art through others and as a collaboration. Watching children explore their range of movement and range of emotions through movement inspires me most.
Influence
I began dancing in first grade. My best friend at the time was taking dance classes and our parents had busy enough lives that we couldn't hang out on the weekend together. I decided I would start taking dance classes to hang out with her. It didn't take long for me to find out that we wouldn't be "hanging out" or even allowed to talk to each other, but something made me stay anyway.
Current Projects
Graduating. My brother and I are collaborating together for my senior project. He will be composing the music and I have to somehow figure out how to choreograph to it. It's a bonding experience really.
Hometown
I'm from Texas, down by the Mexican border. The largest difference is that there is rain and water. Sometimes snow even! The second largest would be the religious aspect of Seattle. Hardly anyone goes to church. There are also a lot of cultural differences. The Mexican culture is all about the family and what is best for the family. Seattle is about what is good for you.
Why Cornish?
At age 15 I decided to go to a boarding high school in North Michigan to continue my dance education. The director of the program at the school had taught at Cornish before moving to Michigan and still has very close ties with Kitty. One day I was talking with my dance teachers and they unanimously informed me that I was going to end up at Cornish after graduation.
Experience
Artistically, my horizons have been broadened in so many directions that I couldn't even begin to describe the difference between what I thought I knew when I came into the program and what I know now about the career path I have chosen. Cornish has helped me narrow the options I want to give myself in the dance world as far as what I want to do with my career is concerned.
My experience with Cornish as a school and the dance department has probably been different from those in my class. I have heard from those in my class describe the dance department as a family, which is a wonderful ideal to have. I would have to say that the dance department is a big group of people who you can count on to support you and full of fantastic people to spend time with. Though, I watch all of the other classes around me and I have to say that each new class that comes in has their own way of taking care of each other and then bringing that into the rest of the dance department.
Hobbies
I love to knit, read, and go on road trips. I'm currently working on a blanket for my brother as his graduation present. I love reading Orson Scott Card and I have no plans for a road trip anytime soon but I am constantly trying to figure out how I can drive back to Texas during any break. The sad part is I never have enough time to drive there and back.
In 5 Years
I will be married and, hopefully, back in Texas teaching children to use their bodies as a form of expression and as a learning tool for their studies.
Advice
Since Cornish does not have dorms yet, the first year is difficult. Depending on what apartment you live in, it can be difficult to get together with people after classes because people live all over the city and are tired after the class day is through. I recommend to live as close to Kerry Hall as possible so that the walk to school and from school does not become a burden. Also, as at other schools, there are certain classes that freshmen just have to get out of the way and that ends up making it hard for them to get to know the rest of the department. However, if you can make it through your first year, you are immediately welcomed and everyone wants to know about you.