Michelle Gawrys is a dancing member of the Princeton University Class of 2009.
Ha, I mean that it only makes sense that I would choose a writing topic that involves dance. I’ve been dancing since I was two and a half and haven’t stopped since. By dance I mean: ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and modern, 16 years total. I have even had the great opportunity to do partnering, similar to Renoir’s dancing couples! (well, not exactly).
Me as Alice in Wonderland dancing with the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. I wonder if Renoir would have approved the match…
Now that I have “rocketed” into Princeton from Rutgers Preparatory School in central New Jersey, hometown of Bridgewater, I’m still dancing, in new fun and exciting ways! I take class at 185 Nassau, including ballet, modern, and belly dancing! and will earn a dance certificate. Plus, I am honored to be currently serving as President of Princeton’s first, best, and only tap dancing group, TapCats. (Come see our show in January!) After Princeton, I aspire to be a Rockette!
Besides being a dance freak, I am also a really big nerd. Really big. I am majoring in chemical engineering and am proud to boast of a HUGE Periodic Table of the Elements on my dorm room wall. I love chemical engineering and have even been called “The Engineering Cheerleader.” Those reading this, become an engineer! Yay! Yes, so I like doing research and being dorky in the lab, etc. I think it’s really fun. I live in the E-Quad even though I was assigned the beautiful Mathey College as my home. Yeah Mathey!
So, how did I find myself in this writing seminar? Well, I just really like art, even of the non-performing kind! I grew up on monthly museum trips (thanks Mom and Dad!) and one of my favorite periods became Impressionism, so I saw this writing seminar as a great opportunity to learn more! I have had a really great time and would highly recommend this writing seminar to incoming freshman. I never leave Marquand Library! I just love doing research…it’s kind of a bad obsession…
And, why Renoir? Well, it’s kind of ironic. I was originally going to write about Degas’ dancers, but I just didn’t think his paintings were cheerful enough. So I decided to study Renoir’s dancing couples instead, because they were warmer and happier. And what did I end up writing about? How Renoir’s dancing couples are not happy! Gosh, I really am nuts. Still, writing the research paper was a lot of fun and I learned so much! Check out my works cited list! I am proud of its length!