The first Tuesday of each month, we interview someone from Charlotte Latin Athletics with twenty questions to help the CLS community get to know some of our athletes, coaches, and supporters a bit better.
 
Senior Cordelia Kim is a powerhouse in a small package. An experienced dancer who performs in the fall and winter with the Hawks, she was selected as the CISAA Conference Dancer of the Year after the 2023 winter season. She balances a rigorous training and competition schedule with an equally challenging academic load full of AP courses. Incredibly disciplined yet playful and curious, her creativity extends beyond the stage to intricate artwork and costume design. What makes all of this even more impressive? She's only 16 years old. Read on to get to know a bit about Cordelia: 
 
1. Tell us about your siblings and your relationship with them.    
I have an older brother, Stephen (Class of 2021), who swims at Georgetown and has always been a role model for me. At a young age, I saw him competing at a high level and he inspired me. And I have a younger sister, Kaitlyn (Class of 2030), who is swimming for Latin this winter but she's mainly focused on soccer. We're all close, but especially me and my little sister. I drive her to school now and one of my favorite things is to make her go shopping with me.
 
2. How long have you been at Latin and what has been one of your favorite classes?
I've been at Latin since third grade. I really enjoyed chemistry in tenth grade and AP chemistry this year with Mrs. Sellner is really fun. I find all of the concepts really interesting and I love doing all of the labs.
 
3. You have studio art as an elective. What do you like to create?
I do paper collage. That's really the only medium I've worked in. I cut paper into shapes and layer them into pieces. I think it's really interesting to take a two-dimensional piece of paper and turn it into something 3D with all these textures. I love doing architectural pieces because they're so detailed. I did a collage of the Princeton chapel where my parents got married, so that one has personal meaning.
 
4. Coming in to your senior year, what were you most looking forward to?
I really enjoyed the senior retreat. It was nice to have the entire grade bond before starting senior year, because a lot of us probably won't see each other again after we graduate.
 
5. How did you get started in dance? Did you try any other sports?  
My mom was a swimmer and I did lessons when I was little and did summer league for a few years, but I found out I was not a swimmer. I was not very good. My dad was a gymnast growing up, so that may be what got me into dance. One of my favorite styles is acrobatics, which is similar. I was recommended for competition team when I was five and I remember thinking Stephen had been swimming at all these meets and bringing home medals and I wanted to bring home medals too. I starting competing then and loved it.
 
6. How is competitive dance structured?   
There are four age divisions; petite, junior, teen, and senior. Within each age division, there's beginner, intermediate, and advanced groups, so you're competing against people your own age and your own level. You move up through the age levels and divisions. At my studio (Miller Street Dance Academy), they want really well-rounded dancers, so we take classes and compete in all the styles from acrobatics to ballet to tap, jazz, hip-hop. It's important to be well-rounded, especially if you want to pursue a profession in dance, so I compete in those different styles. Usually, if you dance long enough and you're ready for it, you'll be given a solo in your favorite or best style. I started off doing musical theater solos and over the years I've gotten to the point where I can do multiple solos, so now I do musical theater and lyrical. It's really interesting to be in a sport where you can compete at an individual and a team level.
 
7. Other than the obvious, how are those different? Do you have a preference?  
In solo, you can show off your own talents, but in a group you have to dance in sync and work together to collectively tell the story of the piece. You can also do duets and trios. I did a duet last year with one of my best friends and it was really fun. During our lessons we were able to just goof off sometimes and it was great to share the stage with one of my best friends. Generally, I really enjoy doing my solos because it's just a time to do my best and there's no pressure of having to dance well for everyone on my team.
 
8. What is a typical competition like?  
You usually have to wake up early, at five or six, because it takes a long time to get ready with stage makeup and hair, then you have to stretch and warm up and maybe run the dance with your team. If you dance at 8:00, you have to be ready by 7:00, which happens a lot. Competitions vary, but usually they start with the big production dances and then go through the group dances. Those are dancers in the same age division and level as you, from large groups with 20-30 people to small groups with maybe six people. You perform multiple dances and sometimes they're really close together with very little time to change your hair or your head headpiece and your shoes. You could also be going from a sad, lyrical piece to an upbeat jazz routine, so sometimes it's hard to transition. Then, after you've danced all day and been inside a dark auditorium for eight hours, they start the solos. Those go late into the night. Awards are also late at night, sometimes starting at 10 p.m. We're all tired and ready to go home, but we're excited to be with each other and we play music to create a party atmosphere and hype each other up.
 
9. Is the training schedule as intense as the competition? How do you keep up with your school work?
I dance competitively for four hours every day, and it's really a year-round sport. I get about two weeks off for winter break, and one week off in the summer. You really have to manage time well and take advantage of any free time, both during the week and during competition. At a competition last year, the week before AP exams, all the dancers had computers and notebooks out and were studying in between dances. I plan ahead and do work in advance and sometimes take a test early if I have to miss school for competition. Teachers have usually been pretty flexible.
 
10. When do you find time to eat?
On days when I go from dance team practice to competitive team practice, I have to eat in the car or in the five minutes I have between the two. Packing a dinner is really important. I have to have a good lunch and pack my dinner, then usually when I get home from dance, I'll eat again to ensure I stay fueled.
 
11. Do you get nervous before competitions?
I feel like I don't get as nervous now as I did when I was younger, but of course I get a little nervous. If I wasn't, I think that would be a bad sign. I power pose every time before I go on stage, which my friends think is funny. I don't know that it helps, but I've been doing it since middle school, so it's a little superstitious now.
 
12. Is dance something you want to pursue in college or beyond?
I would really like to continue dancing on a team in college because it's similar to what I do now and I really do love it. Even though college dance team has really grown in the past couple of years, it's not something every school offers. Chemistry is what's guiding my college choices. I'm not sure whether I want to do research or med school, but I do know that I want to major in chemistry. I would like to minor in dance because I want to continue doing it, and maybe I could try to dance professionally in the future, but I'm not planning on it at the moment.
 
13. What's one of the toughest aspects of your sport?  
Dancing is a lot of being judged and being compared to others. It's not black or white.
 
14. What is it like being part of the dance team for Charlotte Latin?
Dancing at school is more relaxed. We aren't focused on trying to win, which is kind of a relief. We're just performing for the fans, supporting the other teams, and helping create school spirit. Being part of the dance team has helped me enhance my performance. We're so far away from the student section during our halftime dance at football, that we really have to project outward. It really helps to have the cheerleaders right there at the sideline. Everyone performs better when there's an audience cheering for you, so it's great when the student section is engaged and we can feel that energy.
 
15. Do you enjoy the dance team tradition of dancing with the football players at the fall pep rally?
I think it's so fun! I think it also makes some people realize how much goes into being a dancer. There's a big difference between dancing and being a dancer dedicated to the sport.
 
16. Alright, let's finish up with a few fun questions. What's your favorite sport to watch?  
I love gymnastics, especially during the Olympics this past summer.
 
17. Did you have a dream job when you were little? What about now?  
I wanted to be an actress or maybe a professional dancer, which is something that I'm not counting out. I would love to have my own company one day. If I choose to pursue cosmetic science with my chemistry degree, it would be really nice to have my own cosmetic company. A lot of the woman-owned beauty brands are really inspiring.
 
18.  Which holiday is your favorite and why?
I love Christmas. There's nothing better than driving home after a long day of school and dancing and seeing all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood.  
 
19. What has been your best vacation?
I love going to New York City, which is kind of an annual thing. I love the energy in the city and it's really interesting to see musicals because there is a lot of dancing. Sometimes I even get to see people I grew up dancing with performing on a Broadway stage, which is a lot of fun.
 
20. What's a hobby, skill or talent you have that most people don't know about?
I can sew and I've designed and made a lot of my solo costumes for dance. It's really interesting to take a piece of fabric and turn it into something that I wear on stage and perform in. I've been making my costumes for four years now and it's been a learning process that I've enjoyed.