September 21 is National Dance Day, a day that Anastasia Allison celebrates all year long.
Experts say exercising can change the trajectory of someone’s day. For Anastasia Allison, however, exercise has done something more: It’s altered the course of her Buckeye journey.
Now a fourth-year ODI Scholar (MSP) majoring in visual communication design and minoring in public health, Allison faced a tenuous first year at The Ohio State University, leading her to turn to group fitness.
“The spring of my freshman year, one of my family members had a terminal illness, and I was struggling as a neuroscience pre-med major. It felt like everything was falling apart. However, my roommate and I discovered the cardio dance classes at the RPAC, and we started going with some other girls on our floor,” the Canton native explained. “Dance became my outlet.”
With her friends’ encouragement, Allison made dance classes a permanent fixture in her life, becoming a group fitness instructor with Ohio State Rec Sports during her sophomore year. She now teaches weekly hip hop classes with routines inspired by her heritage and a half dozen years of dance training.
“Hip hop is my roots, and I embrace that side of me. I grew up listening to 90s hip hop, R&B, and such, so I had an appreciation for the artists, music, culture, and style that came before me,” Allison commented. “When I was creating my playlist, the music that I found fun to dance to lead me into hip hop, but I also dabble in Latin dance, cardio dance, and Zumba.”
The role has helped Allison cope with various difficulties throughout her college career, requiring her to stay mindful and motivated.
“Sometimes, I’m not having the best day, or I’m not in the mood to dance,” Allison said. “I have to be able to push that aside and be fully present for my participants because that’s what they need. It’s about more than just dance; there’s a bigger purpose.”
While dance provides Allison with stress relief, she says teaching has also expanded on her studies in visual communication design.
“When I teach, I’m physically communicating with people outside of a design context,” Allison noted. “When you learn to communicate with people on different levels, it can help where you’re trying to go overall.”
Beyond group fitness, Allison is also a creative branding intern for Ohio State Athletics, an electronic design intern at the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, co-president of the Department of Design’s Columbus Society of Communicating Arts, and a member of Cru. She is also part of the MSP Leadership Council and ODI Advancement Student Ambassadors.
“Just because I got a scholarship doesn’t mean I can just take it and keep doing my own thing. I need to pay forward, and ODI staff is constantly creating opportunities for you to be involved,” Allison stated. “They’re such awesome people who will continuously advocate for you, and they really are on your side if you let them know you need help.”
As she looks ahead to finishing her undergraduate career and possibly pursuing a graduate degree in design, Allison will continue to share the power of dance.
“My favorite part of teaching dance is my participants. I love them so much,” Allison said. “As an instructor, it’s great to see when someone comes into class a little unsure and lacking confidence but comes out a completely different person and can say, ‘I just killed that.’ It’s the best feeling ever.”