Pretty Brown Dancers will like to express sincere apologies for the late posting for this week’s Kennedi Devericks. We try to post these “Dancer of the Week” at the start of the week which is Sunday. However, time has been extremely busy with the regular jobs, classes at school, and managing our social media page. We want to take the time to pay homage to Pretty Brown Dancer Kennedi Devericks, who we have followed since the beginnings of our page. Kennedi has won many dance competitions and looked so lovely in all of her dancer photos. Check out her interview…
Name: Kennedi Devericks
Age: 11
Hobbies: Dance, tumbling, chorus, and acting, crafting when I have time. Glittering everything and making slime!
Dance school: Cumberland Dance Academy in Hope Mills, NC
Who is your role model? I really look up to Kylie Shea. She’s a beautiful dancer. So strong. I also look up to the older girls at my studio, especially Jordan Stephens. She inspires me so much.
What do you love about dance? I love the way dance makes me feel. I feel like a different person when I dance. I don’t have to worry about anything, just dance and feel the music. Most of all, I love being on stage.
Best lesson I learned: I think the best lesson I’ve learned from dance is confidence. I had a hard time with confidence. I’m a shy person. But if you don’t have confidence, you can’t portray your character as a dancer.
What was the best advice you received about your dance skills and what did you learn from the criticisms (if applicable).If you’re not going to do it full out, there is no point in doing it at all. Also, to be grateful for what you have.
What keeps you motivated and inspired? I stay motivated and inspired because I love it so much! Watching the older girls and guys at my studio doing things that I can not do, makes me WANT to learn and grow more!
How do you find time between academics, dance school, and social activities? Finding time for everything isn’t easy. I have dance six days a week. School, orchestra practice and after-school clubs. If I’m in an after-school club, I usually have to leave a little early so I’m not late for dance. My teachers really work with me. I do my best with school, clubs and dance. I keep my grades up. It’s not easy, but if it’s something you want, you’ll do it.
What were your successes? If there were failures, what did you learn from them? I’ve had lots of successes at competitions. I was undefeated all last year, and am on my way this year! This year I won Prodigy at NRG! I worked really hard for that! I’ve been named highest scoring of the day at several competitions! I’ve won lots of scholarships at conventions. The scholarships have given me opportunities to travel. This year I earned two solos. I was chosen to attend one of the hardest competitions, 2 years in a row. They choose the highest scoring soloists and dances.
I’ve learned from failures that you can not always win. It takes time, hard-work and good technique. Failing sometimes is best for you because you learn the most from it. Especially if you really listen, and work on improving the mistakes you made.
What advice you can give to girls starting out in dance? Never give up! If dancing seems too hard or you can’t do a certain move, don’t quit. Keep pushing because if it’s something you really want, you’ll never quit.
We at Pretty Brown Dancers definitely see Kennedi having a bright future!