Rowan Zollars

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Reflections Artist Spotlight: Rowan Zollars



Rowan Zollars Ref-Icon-Dance 

Rowan Zollars is a dancer from Sycamore Canyon School PTSA in California.

Her choreography "What is it to be Perfect?" takes us on a journey to understand how embracing imperfection can free us from pressure to conforms and open us to authenticity, vulnerability and creative possibility.



"What is it to be Perfect?"

Artist Statement:
"When challenged to interpret "Accepting Imperfection", I decided to write and speak my own poem and add movement. When I think of perfection, I think of the stress of trying to fit in and only showing the best parts of me. The dance starts structured and precise, focusing on the connection we see between happiness and perfection. Later in the dance, I show the anxiety and insecurity of accepting imperfection in my disconnected movements. The final 20 seconds of the piece are left as improvisation so that each time I perform it, I leave room for both possibility and imperfection."

Rowan Zollars | "What is it to be Perfect?"



Artist Biography

My name is Rowan Zollars. I’m 12 years old and I live in California. I make art to relieve stress and express emotion, while telling a story. I love choreographing to show things that you can’t share as well in other ways. It is my favorite way of communication. What inspires me most are my dance teachers and my friends next to me in class. I also find inspiration in shows outside of my studio, including small contemporary dance studios as well as professional productions. I am also quite inspired by music. I listen to new music every day and have 112 playlists on Spotify! Sometimes finding an intriguing song is enough motivation to explore new ideas.

The main technique I use to make my choreography is improvisation, because it helps me to find what my true style is and it helps me discover my favorite moves and transitions. In the future, I could see myself minoring in dance choreography and teaching a contemporary class. Making these dances and exploring my art form can help me improve, help me find my artistic voice, and track my progress each year through my Reflections entries.

Rowan Zollars 01

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Artist Spotlight


Meet the Artist




Artist Interview

Rowan shares more about her life, inspirations and the advice she has for other student artists.


Tell Us More About Yourself


"Outside of school, I'm super passionate about dance, especially choreography. I practice all styles of dance, including: jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, and various technique classes. I take all of these classes at Aspire Dance Studio in Westlake, California.

I’m also in a program called Soulelite as an ambassador for a dance convention called Soul De Soul, which allows me to assist in classes and practice my leadership skills. I get to express myself and grow when I'm there.

I also play piano, enjoy drawing (specifically fashion drawing) and I'm in the math club at school! My favorite subject in school is math because I enjoy the specific answers and the process of learning how to solve new problems."


What Advice Do You Have for Other Artists


"My advice for other artists interested in getting better is to try everything and to take every class available to you. Many people think that you have to have talent to be good at the arts, but I think that the hardest workers are actually the ones who succeed. Practice and keep practicing to build your skills so that you're happy with your work and it can be your own.

Try drawing a weird sketch or making some crazy choreography - because you don't know what you’ll like best until you try. Sometimes finding what you are good at means taking risks and feeling uncomfortable. And, of course, don’t be afraid to be imperfect!"


Why Students Should Participate in Reflections


"Other students should participate in Reflections because it's an opportunity to share your ideas with other people. At each ceremony, I met other creative people who inspired me to keep going and even try other art forms!

Before I was recognized through the Reflections program, not many kids and teachers at my school knew that I was a dancer, and now they do. If I’m being honest, I hesitated to submit my work because I didn’t know if it was the type of thing that Reflections would like. I thought maybe it was too different and not the most difficult dance, technically. But I liked the piece and felt like it was true to my interpretation of the theme, so I submitted, and I’m glad I did.

You never know what can happen. Being recognized for my work this year also gave me more confidence to keep doing what I love to do."



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