University of Wisconsin–Madison

Greece: Alexia Arroyo

Program: UW Dancing Cultures in Greece, Summer

Alexia’s Major: Elementary Education

Program participants posed on an outdoor stage at night.
Group Photo after the Dora Stratou performance!

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

The most memorable experiences I had while in the program were enjoying live performances and having the opportunity to interact with incredible artists all around Greece who have changed dance in a positive way. All the performances gave a message to the audience from the trust about aging to the future we will see soon; it was all very powerful.

What is the moment you are most proud of?

The moment I am most proud of is taking my first dance class. The class was a contemporary dance class, and it was listed as intense. Going into the class, I thought it was nice of us to take off our shoes, and I was wearing comfortable workout clothes. The class had many mirrors, but the teacher said there should be none because it adds judgment to yourself, and you tend to look more at yourself when you’re dancing. While doing the class, I thought I looked crazy. I was moving my arms anywhere, then I would get on the floor and start moving my legs. Our teacher said it felt like “water,” which is what I was trying to do, but I wasn’t sure about it. My classmates reassure me about letting down any other thoughts and just try to feel the calming music that was playing. After the class was over, I felt very free and so proud of myself for doing a challenging class that made me step out of my box and learn something new. The most memorable experiences I had while in the program were enjoying live performances and having the opportunity to interact with incredible artists all around Greece who have changed dance in a positive way.

Program participants wearing aprons and standing aroudn a table. Ingredients, utensils, bowls, and plates are on top of the table.
Cooking Class with the group making Tzatziki.

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

This program’s academics were very different from the ones I would be taking from UW-Madison in part because it was only two weeks long. We weren’t in lecture every day and had more time to work on our individual projects. We also had a big presentation to complete before the end of the program.