Tene Kelly, an assistant principal at Bronx River High School, started dancing at a young age and appeared at the NEA National Heritage Fellowship this year. Here she shares her experiences and some of her memorable moments.

Q: How did you first become interested in dance?

A: I first became interested in dance because I did gymnastics when I was a kid and then I did acrobat dance and then I finally did dance.

Q: What is your favorite style of dancing?

A: My favorite is Haitian dancing.

Q:What was the most challenging part of preparing for the performance, and what did you enjoy most?

A: The hardest part is calming my nerves. I practiced the dance, but my brain kept forgetting. What I enjoyed most was being part of a huge dance.

Q: How do you feel when dancing and performing?

A: Dancing makes me feel energized and present in the moment.

Q: How has dancing inspired you?

A: Dancing was never going to be my career; it was always a hobby, but it created some of the best memories.

Q: Have you ever performed anywhere else? If yes, where?

A: I’ve performed at Summer Stage, Alvin Ailey, Brooklyn Music School, and many others in venues in NYC.

Q: What was the biggest performance you have ever performed?

A: The biggest performance I’ve ever done was at the Presidential Palaces of Suriname for Carifesta. There were 10,000 people watching in person and 1.1 million people streaming.

Q:What is a memorable experience you had when dancing?

A: I was performing for the president of Haiti for a solo and I had to do a backflip in the performance, while I was doing that I messed up and fell on my face in front of him. I made up a dance to cover it up, after the dance someone told me the president’s face was shocked.