Teens of Bay Area

She’s been dedicated to her craft since a young age, and she continues to be: Madison Ronquillo can train up to 30 hours a week while balancing her workload as a senior at Santa Teresa High School. 

Her initial introduction to dance began with attending a dance class at a small dance studio with her older sister. Eventually, she moved to her current studio, Nor Cal Dance Arts, at the age of seven. With versatile training and multi-genre talent, Madison continues to branch out, finding ways to challenge herself while also staying true to herself.

Through years of training, Madison has consistently remained focused on her dance, no matter what life threw at her. Madison continues to reemphasize that when stepping into a studio space, really focus on yourself. No matter how anything is going outside, once you’re in the studio, it’s all about the moment and the training. With her most recent collaboration with Five Dancewear, she has further proven to herself that not only has she seen her growth, but others have recognized her dedication and investment in her art. It further helps her understand how others view her expression through dance.

“The emotions you have from your daily life can really drive you as a dancer,” Madison said. “It really shows in your movement. If you hold yourself back in your mind, you will never reach your fullest potential.” 

Yet despite her success in dance competitions, there have also been moments when Madison doubted herself.

“There’s always going to be different things that affect how you are, how your body’s feeling, and just how you’re going to work that day, and you never know why one day, I’m the best at this one thing, or why I’m not doing it correctly,” Madison said, “It comes in waves, so you really just have to trust yourself and know that you can do it, because just with your training, it will back you up. There are days where it will just be an off day.”

These moments also guide Madison through times when she feels less consistent, lacks the time to commit fully, or struggles to stay focused. To push through, she finds that taking outside classes helps her reset her mindset and changes her way of thinking. It is her form of redirection.

Looking back on her journey, Madison takes pride in herself and her team when they travel to dance nationals. Despite dancing in the same event every other year, seeing her videos and revisiting the experiences reminds her of how far she has come and how proud she feels about her journey. 

“Dance has changed how I see myself because the way I dance makes me feel almost like I’m floating at times,” Madison said. “It just helps me feel free on and off the stage because as I watch back videos of myself dancing, it shows the capacity I can take myself to, and really helps me open up my personality.”