Student Artist in the Spotlight: Alea Uddipa
Age: 12
Grade: 7
School: Floyd Dryden Middle School
Art of choice: Alea is a dancer.
How long: She did some folk dancing in first grade. She's been practicing hip-hop since third grade.
Why: "Dance helps me cut loose. It expresses feelings in movements instead of words. It's fun. Performing is the best part."
All in the family: She makes up dance routines all the time with her cousins.
Favorite artists: Alea likes Celine Dion because of her great singing voice and her inspiring messages in her songs. She also likes Bow Wow and OMarion.
Activities: She plays softball.
Near future plans: She would like to keep dancing in high school, on the drill team. She will keep doing Filipino dancing.
When she grows up: She wants to perform in a big concert. She would like to sing and maybe be in the fashion industry.
You should know: Alea can "sort of" speak Tagalog.
Her dance coach, Jamie Miller, says: "Alea is an excellent representative of our dance team spirit. She attends every practice on time. She executes all moves on count and adds her own stylistic rhythm. She is a fast learner and always willing to help others."
• Student Artist in the Spotlight is a weekly feature on the Neighbors page and is in collaboration with the Juneau School District Elementary Art Program. To be featured as a student artist, contact your school office.