"Like many dancers, I grew up training in my neighborhood studio, which was a safe environment to explore all genres of dance. As a 13 year old, it's very scary to leave your comfort zone and venture out into the city--especially when you think that all city dancers are already on Broadway. They weren’t all Broadway dancers, but I didn’t know that, so I didn’t start taking open classes until after graduating from Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.
When you’re in your comfort zone, you don’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave my studio and my friends when I was younger, but you get ass-whipped in these classes and that’s how you get better. I needed to get my ass kicked before I could start kicking ass."