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Teen of the Week: Dance is preparing Parsons for life

By Brett Dunlap 5 min read

PARKERSBURG - An early life involved in dance has helped prepare Liliana Parsons for college and beyond.

Parsons, 18, is a recent graduate of Parkersburg High School and a freshman at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

She has been doing ballet for 14 years, starting when she was 4 years old. It was her mother Destiny Parsons and grandmother Doris Harper who first got her involved in dance.

"My mom and grandma were both dancers, so they wanted me to get a head start early," Parsons said. "I really liked it, and I kept doing it."

She started at Pam Bailey’s School of Dance in Ripley then went to the Schrader Youth Ballet Company in Parkersburg for two years. She has spent the last five years at the Mid-Ohio Valley Ballet Company.

"I associate Pam Bailey’s with being a child and learning the starting foundations that you learn there," Parsons said. "Schrader's was a transition period. It was also during COVID, and I had to navigate the world of COVID and still keep up with ballet.

"I associate the Mid-Ohio Valley Ballet Company with this period where I'm at now with a lot of growth and preparing for adulthood. I think Miss Suzy (Gunter) has helped me out with a lot."

Parsons said there is a real community of the people involved in dance in the region.

"You make a lot of good friends along the way," she said. "It is enjoyable to be able to bring an art form to life, get on stage and be able to perform in front of everyone."

She cites a recent performance in "Don Quixote," where she played a villager, as a personal favorite of hers because of some of the show's more humorous elements.

"It is a really funny comedic ballet, which is different than the more serious tone many ballets take," Parsons said. "There is some physical comedy to it and a lot of expressions.

"It is more acting with dancing than primarily dancing, but there are still those classical ballet elements. It is an interesting combination."

She has also enjoyed the annual performance of "The Nutcracker" where she has had a number of roles.

"I have done it about every year that I have been in ballet," Parsons said. "Every time it is still enjoyable.

"It is very classical, but still very fun at the same time."

Her favorite was when she was a Coffee Dancer in the Sweet Section during Act II of the show.

"It is very unique and requires a lot of flexibility, which is one of my strong suits in dancing," Parsons said.

She hopes to be able to continue in dance while she is in Morgantown.

"I am hoping I can find a company or a club up there that I can take dance classes when I am not in school," she said. "I would like to come home on the holidays and be able to do some dance while I’m here."

Parsons has usually spent an hour-and-a-half to two hours three times a week practicing in the studio, while also practicing at home.

In high school, she wrote for the school newspaper for three years. She enjoys playing a lot of video games (like Sims 4 and Minecraft) and doing crafting projects like making bracelets and other things.

In high school, she did some film studies classes, including cinematography, lighting, editing and more. Her experience in dance has helped her be able to block a scene and more. She might see if she can continue that in college through classes or clubs.

Parsons feels her time in dance will serve her well in the future in having a strong mindset going into the workforce and being able to realize her goals when she puts in the work to accomplish them.

She is studying forensic biology at WVU and eventually wants to become a medical examiner.

"I've always enjoyed science as a subject," she said. "I enjoyed doing dissections in my classes.

"I find human anatomy particularly fascinating, so medical examiner seemed like a great choice."

Parsons feels like it is a job that is very important and doesn't think it will be replaced by AI anytime soon.

"It is very interesting to learn how the bodies work and just biology in general," she said.

In high school, she dissected oysters, owl pellets (compact masses of fur, bones, feathers and teeth that owls swallow and later cough up) as well as frogs, cow eyes, a sheep brain and a rat.

Parsons is looking forward to getting started taking classes in college that are more tailored to her interests, which is different than being in high school where one takes a variety of classes, some of which held her interest more than others.

"As you move on, you find things that you are more suited to, things you are more interested in," she said.

Parsons did a lot of the dual-credit classes in high school where she was able to get college credit.

"I already have 33% of my degree done," she said.

She still has some general education courses to complete, but she can be more focused on her science and math classes.

A medical examiner has an important job in finding out why people died.

"Being a medical examiner will also help me bring peace to the deceased's loved ones, as well as help bring justice to them if they were murdered," Parsons said.

Parsons feels the dedication and discipline of dance has helped her with her mindfulness and being aware of her physical body. If she experiences pain, she can help identify where it is and how to treat it.

"It has given me a lot of confidence," she said. "I know I can accomplish these difficult things if I keep working at it."

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

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