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05/11/2017 12:00 AMJuliette Linares is a lifelong dancer, and her dedication to the sport was recently recognized when she and her teammates from Astra Studio of Dance and Performing Arts in Old Saybrook were named grand champions at the Platinum Performing Arts competition. Juliette, a Chester resident, also earned high gold as a soloist at the competition. In total for her regional competitions this year, Juliette has earned a gold, high gold, and a platinum as a part of either her team or solo routines. Additionally, Juliette and her teammates on Astra’s Senior squad received a platinum invitation to participate at a national competition in Groton this July.
Juliette started dancing when she was just two years old, and this June will mark her 15th year as a dancer. Juliette’s experience has been integral to her team’s success, and the instructors at Astra Studio look to her to lead her fellow dancers. Juliette understands this and takes her responsibility seriously, especially when her team is getting ready to compete.
“I like to make sure that, with our group, that they know that whatever happens, we just have to do our best,” says Juliette. “We are competing against ourselves more than anything. We are just working to get better every competition.”
Juliette’s words of encouragement worked wonders for Astra Studio when it turned in one of its best performances of the year at Platinum Performing Arts. Juliette performed in five of Astra’s Senior team’s routines. Its jazz performance of That Man earned the team its platinum dancer invitation to compete at nationals. Juliette says that she loves performing jazzy routines.
“My favorite style is to perform jazz. I enjoy dancing with a lot of attitude,” she says. “It’s a good way to put in a lot of characters and a little acting.”
Juliette also likes two routines that require some character craft and acting. In the routine Tears of an Angel, Juliette plays the mother of a dying girl in the hospital. That performance earned Astra’s Senior team grand champion honors at Platinum Performing Arts. One of Juliette’s other favorite routines is the contemporary duet Unsteady, in which Juliette and her partner play two homeless girls who have to rely on each other to survive. Juliette specifically enjoys the technical challenges of that routine.
“It requires a lot of trust because I have to do a lot of lifts with my partner,” says Juliette. “I know she trusts me, and I trust her.”
Astra Studio is only in its first year of existence, but Juliette knew that it would be the right place for her after she had previously worked with studio owner Brittany Wigglesworth.
“I had known Brittany when she was a dancer at a previous studio. When I heard she was opening her own studio, I decided that attending would be great for me as a dancer,” Juliette says. “I’m blessed that I had the opportunity to go there. I’ve become a better dancer since starting at the studio in September.”
Wigglesworth’s respect for Juliette is mutual. Wigglesworth feels grateful to Juliette for everything she does to help Astra’s dancers and anticipates even more improvement from Juliette in the coming year.
“She takes correction very well. She’s really focused and works hard to get everything right. When we go to competitions and the judges have comments, she always takes them to heart,” says Wigglesworth. “I believe she’ll keep being a role model for everybody. We love her here. We keep telling her that she’s not allowed to graduate and that she has to stay with us forever.”
As much as Juliette likes dancing, it’s not the only thing that she’s passionate about. Juliette also loves to volunteer and give back to her community. She’s a member of several organizations as a junior at Valley Regional High School, including the National Honor Society and the Hispanic Honor Society, as well as the school’s musical production, concert choir, concert band, yearbook committee, and the summer reading committee. Juliette is also a girl scout and, when asked about her biggest achievement, she immediately mentioned her Girl Scout Gold Award. Juliette earned that distinction by organizing an event called Dinner and a Book, which was held at Vance Village Elementary School in New Britain.
“I worked with the principal and organized with parents and their students. There was a dinner provided for the kids with pizza, juice, and cookies,” Juliette says. “I, along with a few guest readers, took students back to the classrooms and read Dr. Seuss stories to the kids, while their parents met with literacy coaches on how to support their children’s reading. I personally read to over 100 kindergarten students and gave them each a book at the end.”
Juliette believes that the biggest reason she’s able to do so much is the influence of her mother, Ivette. According to Juliette, none of her accomplishments would be possible without her mom’s support.
“She has pushed me to be the best version of myself that I can be. She’s been to everything, whether it’s girl scouts, a competition, or a concert,” says Juliette. “She moves all her stuff around to get to them, and she drives me everywhere that I need to go. She’s definitely my go-to person.”