Many little girls grow up wanting to be a beautiful dancer, but not many of them fulfill this dream.
For Natalie McCormick, senior in civil engineering, becoming a dancer wasn't just an exciting decision; it was her first chance to be herself.
"I have an older sister who took gymnastics... so I always just followed her around and just watched her lessons," McCormick said. "And one day... I looked up at my mom and I said 'When am I going to do what I want to do?'"
McCormick was only four years old, but she decided that it was her turn to do what she wanted. And she wanted to dance.
Over this past weekend, McCormick and many other dancers released their creative energy by participating in "Sit Down & Dance" directed by Adrienne Wilson.
"I (choreographed) a solo piece," McCormick said. "It started out as a piece for six dancers and I was not supposed to be init."
But after scheduling conflicts and having high expectations for the quality of performance, McCormick found herself with the opportunity to choreograph and perform an original piece titled "Fragmented Abstract."
McCormick's director and mentor, Adrienne Wilson, enjoyed giving McCormick the opportunity to choreograph.
"She's been carefully thinking about (choreographing) and trying to physicalize it for a while now," Wilson said. "To see it manifest is so exciting."
McCormick is the current student relations officer for the Cupola Engineering Ambassadors and is also the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Before deciding to follow her engineering passion, McCormick chose to attend New York University to pursue a degree in theatre, utilizing her piano, singing and dancing skills.
"I got there and kept waiting to fall in love with (NYU)," McCormick said. "It had been my dream my whole life to go to NYU and when I got in I was ecstatic, but I kept waiting to find out why I was so excited to be there."
Instead of enjoying her time spent in studio, she enjoyed helping others with Calculus.
"By October I really missed school," McCormick said.
After her first semester at NYU, McCormick decided she needed a college where she could do both academics and dance, which she found after visiting her sister and the engineering department at Auburn.
Within her first semester, Natalie found herself in a class with Wilson, who was a visiting professor.
"I knew as soon as I met her we were on the same page as far as dance goes," McCormick said.
After taking one class with Wilson, McCormick wished she could pursue a dance minor in order to achieve something with the dance classes she was taking.
With the help of Wilson, McCormick was able to achieve her goal.
Brittany Allen, senior in environmental and family business, has known McCormick for four years through her dance minor and appreciates her friendship as well as leadership.
"Last year when we went to our dance conference we all really bonded and Natalie was really the leader," Allen said.
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