by Grace Keller / 8CA Dance Writer

An old myth talks about the two sides of our brain–how the left and right hemispheres contain completely different aspects of our personalities and that generally, one side more heavily determines who you are. The right-brained are the visionaries, the creative ones, intuitive and artsy. While the left-brained are analytical, linear, and the logical straight-forward thinkers.

Though this myth isn’t exactly accurate, I like to think that the base of it holds true. People, from what I’ve seen, tend to lean one way or another on the “left vs. right” brain spectrum. Except for some reason I have always fallen right down the middle.

My long-lived background in dance took up a large portion of my childhood and young adult life. I’ve trained at multiple studios in the Fox Valley area and have taken classes in all the popular styles. From competing in stage competitions all over Chicagoland to IHSA contests on my high school dance team, one could say I’m pretty artistic. Someone who’s watched me perform would attest that when I danced, it was more with my heart than my feet. Emotion, musicality, and rhythm were what fueled my movements; strength and skills acted as mere supports. I believe that my sincere connection to the song as I moved is because just as much as I was a dancer, I am also a musician.

Understanding the emotion it takes to make music goes hand in hand with portraying that feeling on the dance floor. In 2009, for some reason I can’t even remember, I chose the string bass (or as some call it, the giant cello) as my elementary school instrument. Little did I know that it would stick through middle and high school, and that I’d become somewhat of a skilled young musician. From taking private lessons at a local university to being invited into multiple Illinois Music Educators Association festivals, my music career reached its peak when I was accepted into the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. For my last two years of high school, each Sunday and various weekdays consisted of driving to downtown Chicago, my bass packed away, for a long rehearsal on Michigan Avenue with the symphony. Dancers and musicians form somewhat of a symbiotic relationship with their art forms–sure one can exist without the other, but together, they convey the most breathtaking artistry. With the amount of time and effort that I poured into my “visionary side,” I think for a long time even I expected that I’d pursue a career in a similar direction. But looking back, I can say with confidence that my intense background in the arts is what drove me to pursue an engineering degree.

I guess this makes my brain ambidextrous? There is no technicality to it really–for me, I was able to remain rational, logical, and a very linear thinker while in class. I excelled in math and the sciences all throughout high school, especially calculus and physics. But it was after class, at dance practice or a rehearsal, where my entire mindset shifted. I became the creative and passionate artist that my teammates and friends knew me as.

That old myth about our brains–it still makes a lot of sense. But for me, it was the equal balance between my left and right sides that made me who I am… not a strength or lack thereof in one or the other. Music and dancing keep me sane after the hours of math and science coursework that I manage in college these days, and I’m so grateful to have those outlets. I love that I can identify as both analytical and a visionary. I love that I can still have a deep appreciation for the arts even while pursuing a career in a totally different direction. But most of all, I love that the lessons I’ve learned of perseverance and hard work through dance and music will carry with me with every class I take or job I work for the rest of my life.

So yeah, many people might identify one way or another on the “right and left” brain spectrum. But, I’m living proof to say the least, that being strong on one side doesn’t have to limit you in the other. Keep dancing, pick up an instrument, take that tough chemistry class…who knows? Your brain might be a little ambidextrous too.

HD Jacobs Dance Team alum Grace is headed into her second year at the University of Minnesota. And yeah, she can claim to being in the same room as their ultra-famous dance team when she attended a tryout clinic! She’ll be back this winter helping us cover competition season (@8CA_Grace).