unmasked
Sierra enjoys Shel Silverstein poetry and used the illustration from his poem, Masks, as her inspiration. Although, the poem and her piece can be interpreted in many ways- We all feel pressure to be viewed a certain way or be perfect. But it is important to be true to yourself and take off your mask. Just be you! She hopes the audience enjoys what she created and comes up with their own interpretation
Finding mi chispa
A normally silly, happy go lucky young girl is confronted with adversity from an unlikely source. As a result, her bright spark, or La Chispa, was dimmed and lost. She goes on a journey to find her la chispa. She is forced to look within herself for courage and finds incredible strength from bright flowers. But dark clouds and rough waters appear and try to take her down. Yet she continues to dance unphased by the negative force. Despite the bright flowers beginning to disappear, she realizes she had the strength within her all along. She just had to be true to herself and know her worth. She learns a lesson that only she has the power to let someone else try and dim her spark or la chispa. And that when we all shine together, we can make the world a brighter place.
Sierra Schlehuber Age 10
Sierra has been obsessed with dance as long as she can remember. However, she officially began her training at the age of 4 at the Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet. Sierra enjoys a variety of dance styles such as ballet, Latin, modern and contemporary. At the age of 9, she attended Ballet Hispanico’s Elevate Summer Program where she got to explore alternative forms of dance more deeply and embrace her Colombian heritage. She welcomed the chance to learn flamenco, sevillanas and limon. Sierra also took master classes by Pilobolus and Hubbard Street Dance in 2023. In addition, this past summer she attended Miami City Ballet’s Young Dancer Intensive, where she was able to build on her dance skills and technique. While in Miami, she was inspired by the vibrant colors, art museums and Latin culture, which became the perfect setting for her screendance, Finding Mi Chispa. While in New York City for Ballet Hispanico in 2022, she was awestruck by Momix’s performance of Alice, which was an inspiration for the genre of her live performance, UnMasked.