ADTC: What is your True Color Personality Style? 

Nora F: I got blue! I am the peace maker. I’d say that sounds about right. I’m always the one who brings my friends together, and I’m often the one who fixes the little fights. Lots of my friends come to me with questions or when they need to be comforted, and I’m always there for them. I always try and get out of conflict, I hate it when people fight, so I try and fix it as soon as possible my negotiating and making compromises, having a bit of a teaching moment.

ADTC: Who is your Idol?

Nora F: Zendaya is 100% my idol. She has done so much to make the world a better place. Not only does she sing and dance like a goddess, she also speaks up about injustice. She’s often commenting on problems in the industry, whether around race, age, gender or looks. She inspired and empowered me not only to preform, but to stand up for what i think is right.

ADTC: What is your proudest accomplishment & why?

Nora F: My proudest accomplishment is probably my violin stuff. Every piece I finish is a new proud accomplishment. I have been playing since i was 5, and so every time I advance I feel so proud that I stuck with it for so long.

ADTC: What goals are you working on right now (in both dance & life)?

Nora F: Goal in dance is probably my turns and leaps, because wow I need practice. In life, it’s to create a safer space for the people around me.

ADTC: Tell us about a difficult situation in your life and how you got through it. What did you learn?

Nora F: I’ve suffered from depression since I was 11 years old. For a while I felt like everything was hopeless. I didn’t talk to anyone about it and ended up falling farther and farther away from help. Eventually, my mom noticed something was wrong. I started talking to my therapist that I had at the time for anxiety. She taught me how to cope. I slowly started to come back to normal. That summer, I started dancing again. Exercise helps get all dopamine and serotonin I need. Dancing really brought me out of my shell, and showed me that I could be happy doing something again. I started dancing every summer, and during the school year I started going to a crossfit gym. I kept playing my music, and let all of my problems float away when I was doing these activities. It taught me that no matter how deep you go, you can still see light, and make your way back.

ADTC: What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

Nora F: Dancing might be the most daring thing id done. I tend to be really self conscious even though I have a very open personality. I feel anxious when people watch me, because I’m scared I’m doing something wrong and they wont like me. When I started dancing, I would always be looking at the people behind me or in front of me to make sure I wasn’t wrong. I had no confidence in myself, even though I was having fun. Over time, I stopped looking at myself in the mirror, and stopped watching the people around me unless we were learning a new part. I learned that if I make a mistake its okay, and I can just fix it. It brought up my confidence a lot, and now I can be in the front line of a dance routine, or do a solo and feel better about it.

ADTC: If you’ve been to ADTC, what is your favorite dance camp memory & why?

Nora F: My favorite memory is probably the show. Backstage, everyone was encouraging, and rapidly changing. And afterwards, everyone got to see their families, and show their hard work. Even though my parents didn’t make it, it was awesome to meet my new friends parents, and to see my friends preform. I got to do my dance idol group dance that won first place, which was really cool, and i got the hip hop award, which was also pretty cool. I just felt like that night was such a cool show of accomplishments and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.