Welcome to Flashback Friday check out the amazing Connie Jane Lovell this is her journey x
Let me introduce you to the amazing and beautiful Connie Jane Lovell
Read her amazing journey and with so much more to give to this profession, she has an amazing future. Congratulations we love you from all at ultraflex and are so proud to have apart of your journey.❣️
What age were you when you started ultraflex?
I was 9 years old joining Ultraflex after just moving to Cork from London
How long where you a member of ultra-flex?
I was an Ultraflex member for about 10 years when I went on to study Dance at college for a further 6 years!
Can you remember how you felt on your first day? 
I remember my first day climbing the stairs up to the town hall in Macroom. A few of my school friends were already Ultraflex members so there were familiar faces to ease the nerves. I had danced since I was 3 years old but this day was the first time I would learn ‘kicks across the floor’ and the magic of a ‘cross tap cross kick’!
Are you still in touch with your dance class friend? 
I am lucky enough to have made a friend for life from my days at Ultraflex. Clare Cronin and I would travel from Macroom to Ballincollig together every Thursday and Saturday for our classes. We became best friends, dance partners and still nickname ourselves ‘partners in crime’..(Don’t ask?!). We ended up in London together in the name of Dance! <3
How important was your dance in your life growing up?
More important than I can even understand I think! 
Dance has always been an anchor in my life, a constant, a way of expressing myself non-verbally, of getting to know myself and my abilities. Growing up, I wasn’t the most confident or self-assured person. Dance allowed me to explore my voice and my character through being creative and performing. 
With dance, your working towards something always, be it a show, a sharing, a competition but the process and preparation are just as important and fun-filled as the end goal! 
Having dance practice in my life as a young person, I saw myself grow and grow as a result of dedication and passion.
For me, learning dance has been full of empowerment. There’s always the opportunity to self-interpret, even if we'd all learning the same thing. Whether it is musically/ stylistically/ dynamically etc, you make the choices when applying it to your body. This is practicing interpretation, choice-making, and exploring your unique creative voice!
Dance- Contemporary Dance
Iv experienced ‘Dance’ in many ways and forms on my journey. Firstly learning routines and making choreography to music/songs. Then training in Musical Theatre, where singing dancing and acting can happen together at once. And then onto Contemporary Dance where the movement/dance is (majority of the time) created without music, and the music/sound added afterward to add another layer to the work.
A deep interest in the body moving and why it needs to dance is what led me into Contemporary Dance and a 3 year Degree. I was fascinated with the idea of ‘authentic’ movement, why and where the movement is coming from?
Contemporary Dance sees the moving body as already dancing. By zoning into our everyday movement and how the body works we can transfer this into Dance. Even when learning group choreography, the movement strives to come from an authentic place through the practice of embodiment. So we practice finding the movement in our own body, from the inside-out!
Saying all that, dance to music is always special and fun. I still need to often take myself to the studio, put on a track and let it all out. It is how I learned to dance and is where passion can always be found!
Has dance impacted your life's choice with growing up or in adulthood?
For me, Dance has always been rooted in the connection I can have with my body. Tuning into thoughts/emotions/feelings and using the body as a vehicle to express these. Dance has shown me how to express my truest self to the fullest and ill always strive to keep doing this in my life! 
I think Dance is one of the few things that bring us into the present moment. Nothing else matters when you are dancing, your exactly where you should be! Realising this as my need for Dance, I have aimed to carry this forward into my wider life, this idea of presence. Life is one big dance after all!
‘To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.’- Agnes De Mille
Dancing is empowering!
What would you say to your 8yr old self would be the best part of ultra-flex?
The chance to have fun, explore your creativity, be part of a team, show off and shine!
What would you say to anyone out there thinking of joining ultraflex?
Ultraflex is full of passion, positivity, fun, and authenticity. Kim is the queen of her talent. She is a caring, genuine, nurturing and passionate teacher. Ultraflex encourages and believes in every student individually and is like joining a family!
Where are you based now?
I am now based back in Cork after spending 5 years full of Dance in London!
What are you currently up to?
I have been teaching Yoga in various contexts, dancing as a free-lancer, and working in a café!