Mackenzie Holden for QFP
[PHOTOS AFTER INTERVIEW]
QFP
Last week, we met up with Queen’s Dance star Mackenzie Holden for a photoshoot and talked dance, fashion, and life as a star. Mackenzie is a 3rd year Health Studies Student who is a hip-hop teacher and choreographer with the Queen’s Dance Club. She also has an awesome style around campus! Check out our interview with her below where we get some insight into what it’s like being a campus dance celebrity.
Q: How long have you been dancing? Tell us about your fondest dance memory. A: I have been dancing for 15 years and counting. Honestly, I just love every time I get to perform.
Q: Which genre of dance is your favourite and why? A: Jazz for sure. It is a genre that has many different styles within it. It can be soft and sultry, or hard hitting and sassy, which gives everyone an opportunity to perform it in their own way.
Q: How limiting is fashion in dance? What is the most difficult clothing article you have had to dance in? A: Fashion in dance varies for each vision or concept the choreographer is going for. Where costume design can be limited is considering the flexibility of the costume. However, it is very effective when a choreographer can incorporate the costume into the choreography. The coolest, and perhaps most difficult costume to dance in was one that included a big black cape. Although challenging, it was incredibly effective for the performance.
Q:How much do costumes contribute to a dance performance? A:Costumes are a huge part of dance. I like to think of it like a cake: the choreography is the recipe, the dancers are the ingredients, and the costumes are the icing on the cake. Without the costume, the dance is incomplete. That being said, the costume does not have to flashy and extravagant to be effective, sometimes a simple black bodysuit works for the piece. Whatever the costume, it makes the whole concept come to life.
Q: Does your artistic insight in dance reflect your own personal style? A: I think the confidence I have with being able to switch from genre to genre in dance gives me the confidence to try new clothing styles. I kind of have two sides to my style: I can look chill in my boyfriend jeans and flannel, or dress up – lipstick and all.
Q: What are your three favourite places to shop? A: Brandy Melville for its simplicity, American Apparel for pieces that never seem to go out of style, and Lululemon – because a dancer can never have enough Lulu.
Check out our shoot below!
(Photography by Tyson Clark)
(Photography Assistant: Jia Zhang)
Make-up and hair by Alixandra Glance)
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