PVCC Puma Press: October 2002 Fine Arts

For Sonia Valle, the new dance teacher at Paradise Valley Community College, dance is not only an art form or a way to make a living, but an expression of thoughts and emotions.

For the first 12 years of Valle's life, she lived in Rosarito, Mexico. There, she first dabbled in dance in the first grade when she learned folklore dance, which she continued for three years.

Valle was always an active child, even when she moved to Baja California. She continued sports including basketball, track and cross country throughout high school.

Valle attended San Diego State University and started her freshman year taking classes that focused on international business and a few dance classes on the side. She became very serious about dance and began taking more classes every semester.

"One teacher I respect is Patricia Sandback. She was a very good teacher, challenging and supportive. One who encouraged me most when I was first started," says Valle.

Valle attributes her love of dance to the fact that learning English was very difficult for her when she first moved to the United States. Dance allowed her to express herself without words. In 1991, Valle became a company member for the Ballet de Camara de la Frontera dance company. Then, in 1994, she became a member of the San Diego State University Dance Company and continued to perform with the company until she graduated.

Valle was also a member of Patricia Sandback and Dancers in 1995. She says that Sandback taught her a lot as far as being professional in all aspects of being a dancer.

In 1996, Valle received her Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Dance. She continued to take dance classes at local dance studios and also taught classes there. Although Valle has taken many different types of dance classes including ballet and jazz, she says that modern is her favorite.

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I want to make an impact on students, give them my knowledge and know they grow.
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Valle was accepted into a three-year master's in dance program at Arizona State University. While studying there, she performed with the Prowess Dance Arts Company and later became the graduate assistant to the Artistic Director of the Company, choreographer's assistant and Rehearsal manager for the Dance Arizona Repertory Theatre from 1999-2000.

"Performing is my passion," says Valle.

In 2001, she was a company member in A Ludwig Dance Theatre and Friends. She also received her Master's in Fine Arts that May.

Valle knew she wanted to teach in higher education. During the interview she had at PVCC, Valle says she felt very comfortable, very accepted.

Presently she is teaching beginning and intermediate ballet, beginning jazz and beginning modern classes. Valle says PVCC is very open to her ideas. She's here to help develop the PVCC dance program.

Valle says one of her biggest challenges this year is that there are so many different levels among her students. The majority of them have a high level of technique, but she also has beginning dancers who are just starting out.

Valle wants her students to leave her class with a feeling that they have learned something, that they have fulfilled a need to express themselves.

Next semester there will be two different levels of modern classes available. In the future, Valle would like to get a dance company in operation at PVCC that will be able to do a lot of traveling, performing and competing. She'd also like to hold workshops with the community's high schools and elementary schools.

"I want to make an impact on other students, give them my knowledge and know they grow," says Valle.