Lexis Trechak- Dance (A Beautiful Form Of Expression) (Dancer & Rising Talent) (September 2021)

Issue Seventeen- September 2021:

By Mercedes Barreto

Dance is very beautiful and elegant and seems flawless. The dancer’s onset might make this look easy, but it’s far from that. Dancing, and even professionally perhaps, takes years and years of dedication, practice, and perseverance. Lexis Trechak is a dancer who not only supersedes expectations but merits her recognition as a dancer with years of experience in the field. We revise her dancing aspirations and views of dance in this guided yet informative article.

What initiated your love for dance? What are three words to describe this initiation in your life?

“I have been dancing since I was two years old, but I think my love for dance really kicked in when I began teaching it when I was 13 years old. Once I realized how the skills I have learned throughout my training are useful enough to educate younger incoming dancers, it made me realize how much potential I have as a performer myself. It made me want to work harder and become the best I can be so that I can continue to educate the younger generation of dancers. Three words to describe the initiation of dancing in my life would be: drive passion and valuable.”

Has Covid impacted your routine, whether it might be practice, show, or general life?

“Covid played a huge impact in my regular daily routine. It took away my experience of physical interaction in the education system. Learning hands-on is very important to me and that was taken away. Being forced to sit in front of a computer for hours on end trying to listen to the back-to-back lectures is impossible. I don’t have the attention span for it. I definitely feel like my education was cut short. In terms of dance, I felt like a part of me was taken away when Covid struck. Dance is all about expression and physical touch, and all of that was taken away when we were forced into lockdown. For over a year, I had to set up my computer and dance in my tiny living room if I wanted to have any chance of dancing. It was very depressing and it made me lose my love for dance. I never thought I would feel that way after 18 years of dancing. It made me very unhappy, and for a while, dance was the only thing that made me happy. Having my one hope of happiness turn into anger and boredom and suffering was a very low point for me. After a year and a half of dancing in my tiny living room, not being able to fully extend my arms and legs, I am happy to say I am back dancing in person with a reflections dance company at temple university, of which I am the president. Finally, no more tiny Zoom dancers on my computer. We are finally dancing as one large company again, and I have never felt happier.”

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Do you believe that dance is a beautiful form of expression? Or is it more of a serious life profession and lifestyle? Why and how so?

“I believe dance is a beautiful form of expression. As a dancer, there are many different pathways you can take in life. You can go on to be a professional dancer making a living out of it. Others just do it on the side of their regular job because it makes them happy. No matter what, everybody’s in this field because they love what they do, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t do it anymore. More often than not, dance is used as an escape to avoid conflicts and issues in the real world. My dance teacher always taught me that, once you walk into the dance studio door, you leave all of your baggage there and don’t pick it up until you walk out. This means that any issues that you’re having, you don’t bring into the studio because it isn’t worth it. Dance is the one place you are supposed to go to relieve all of that stress and all the negative emotions and just dance it out, and I live by that.”

If you could dance for the world, for just 5 minutes, what would be your style of choreography, and would you pick a setting that matches a musical selection in the back? What would that kind of exposure mean to you, and for your career overall?

“Since I was little, I always wanted to be on Broadway. Musical theater has always been so much fun for me, and I’ve been acting and doing shows since I was about 3 1/2 years old. If I can dance for the world for just five minutes, I would choose to perform a musical theater piece. Although my all-time favorite style is contemporary, I feel like performing a musical theater piece would get me farther in life. This kind of exposure could be beneficial in helping me achieve my lifetime goal of being on Broadway. There’s a better chance of me being noticed by performing a musical theater piece as opposed to doing a contemporary piece.”

What are three words that describe the growth, climb, and progression in your life, possibly in different phases, to become the dancer you are today? Who might that be, in detail, if someone were to ask that question? Who is the dancer that you are today, and why?

“The three words that describe my growth are perseverance, self-confidence, and goal-oriented. Growing up in the dance world, I had a lot of confidence issues. It affected my mental health and began to affect my performances as a dancer. I didn’t like what it was doing to my mental health. My dance teachers took note of this self-sabotage and helped guide me in the right direction. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have half the confidence that I have today as a dancer. I’m much more confident performing any style now, and if you asked me five years ago to do that, I would have said no. I have grown to love who I am as a dancer. Although I’m not perfect, I’m still growing and learning and becoming better every day.”

Where can we see, or be informed, of your latest achievements or most recent news? Why should we, base on the dancer that we are today, and why is that special, and overall, why is it worth the Google search, the Facebook like, and the YouTube views?

“You can follow me on tik tok and Instagram @lexistrechak. I post dance videos on Instagram, and I always post comedic dance skits on my tik tok that almost every dancer can relate to! During the pandemic, my ability to teach other dancers was taken away. I needed some way to engage with the dance community, and that’s how I began making tik toks. I use my 19 years of dance experience to my benefit and create relatable content for dancers. So, if you want a good laugh, definitely check out my tik tok account!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my dance journey. Especially my parents as well as all of my dance teachers from Yvonne’s school of dance, I would not be the dancer I am today without you guys.”