Rebecca Belsanti Dances Through Life 

by Gabrielle White

“If it’s there in your heart then do it, if people succeed it’s when they follow their heart and do what they really want to do,” said Belsanti.

Soon after Belsanti started dance classes, she began to teach them too. At 17, Belsanti was teaching classes ranging from four year olds to people over 30, while not even an adult herself. While Belsanti was teaching dance classes, she was also starting her first paid dancing job, “Opryland in Tennessee; I had graduated high school two weeks early in order to take the job,” said Belsanti. Belsanti missed important high school milestones like prom and senior finals, but her passion for dancing far exceeded anything. “Kids these days are like ‘I could go this artistic route or go the more practical route.’ When I was a kid, I couldn’t think of anything else,” said Belsanti, “dancing was my life, there was no plan B; If you have that kind of passion, something has to happen.”

 The opportunity within dancing at Opryland pushed Belsanti in the exact direction she always longed for: professional dancing. Directly after Opryland, Belsanti found herself traveling across the world to Japan at 18 years old for four months, and later moving to LA with nothing but $5,000 and a scholarship program at Jermaine’s dance studio. “I got an agent and started auditioning. I went to South America, Mexico City, Vegas, Minnesota, and worked in Atlantic city at a casino,” said Belsanti. In LA, Belsanti’s roommate was the choreographer for Prince, and he soon introduced her to him and became the assistant choreographer. The assistant choreographing for Prince went as far as “doing shows at his club or him, shows in Minnesota, a music video, and a performance at Arsenio Hall,” said Belsanti. 

Belsanti stopped dancing professionally in her 20’s due to a neck injury, but that didn’t stop her from continuing to pursue her love of movement through teaching. At any chance of dancing or teaching dance, Belsanti snags it, “Any chance I get I still teach people how to dance. Whatever it was, a ballet warmup? I’ll do it,” said Belsanti. Belsanti’s child, Norah Belsanti, participates in the Drama Program, which got her into choreographing for the program. “When I got into teaching for MBHS Drama I definitely felt rusty, but it was really exciting because I gotta do it again,” said R. Belsanti. At first, Belsanti was asked to teach a dance workshop, which ended up being learning choreography to one of the songs from Little Shop of Horrors, “Dentist!” The director, Sabrina Pratt, loved the dance so much that Belsanti ended up finishing the full choreography for it, featuring it in the show. 

“Choreographing resonates that connection I feel with dance, and that root of how good it feels to dance and move,” said Belsanti. The feeling of joy whenever Belsanti dances never left, and still without doubt makes her feel “Alive,” said Belsanti. Junior Emerson Jacquay, who played Audrey 2 and an Urchin in “Little Shop of Horrors”, said, “I loved incorporating some Fosse moves, it was really fun learning the dance style.”

 Belsanti not only teaches the students dance moves, but she preaches the feeling you should have behind dancing, and why you do it. “Instead of being someone else, be yourself and find what the character means to you. For dancer’s - remember that you love to dance, and that auditions are like a free dance class,” said Belsanti. 

Through the characters' dance movements in “Dentist!” made you easily tell they were having fun, and not just dancing stiffly. Belsanti brought out this energy in the program of excitement and emotion in each move, wearing her heart on her sleeve. “Dancing with the cast as I taught them or just watching people dance makes me cry every time, when something is really great you get all teary and excited,” said Belsanti. 

It’s nearly impossible to be dancing in the choreography style that Belsanti teaches and not have fun; even if a student hates dancing, or thinks they aren’t good at it, they still truly felt present and expressive through each move. “I had a good friend who I grew up with and instead of doing what he was passionate about, (acting), he decided to do the practical thing and be a lawyer. About 10 years into it he became an actor in NYC and started directing things,” said Belsanti. Belsanti urges everyone to follow their dreams and whatever they are passionate about without hesitation, and emphasizes that the standard college route isn’t for everyone, “Even if it’s risky, just do it,” said Belsanti.