Central Valley High School: Faylanna Moore channels her energy into dance
Central Valley High School senior Faylanna Moore can trace her love of dance to hours spent dancing with her mother in their tiny kitchen.
The skills she developed there brought her to the Central Valley dance team.
Moore said her mother is disabled, but would watch online videos so she could teach her daughter to dance.
“My mom taught me,” Moore said. “We just spent hours and hours dancing in the kitchen. It has obviously paid off.”
Her mother’s goal was to channel Moore’s energy into something positive. “I have really bad ADHD,” she said. “She was like, we’re going to put that energy to work.”
Moore said she tried medication for her ADHD when she was younger but felt it “stripped me from me,” so she stopped taking it.
When she got to high school, she joined the dance team. She’s been the captain the past two years and the team has gone to State three years in a row. “I’m really proud to have grown that program,” Moore said. “Its first year was my freshman year.”
Although she loves just about every style of dance, hip hop is her favorite. “I love hip hop, just the history of it,” she said.
She has also danced with the Alegria dance company. “I love dancing with a team but I also love dancing with a company,” she said. “I feel like I was being pushed every day.”
It’s not just dance that keeps her busy. She has played the violin since the fifth grade and is in the school orchestra. She’s a member of Key Club, has studied French for four years and enjoys taking Advanced Placement classes.
“I love educating myself,” she said. “Education is the biggest privilege in the world.”
She also has the responsibility of doing a lot of the housework her mother is unable to do. She is a regular volunteer at Second Harvest. Moore said she and her mother used the food bank in the past and so she volunteers as a way to give back.
“I keep myself busy,” she said. “I just do what I love.”
Teacher Mason Flemmer said Moore is an inspiration. “Life hasn’t always been easy for her, but she has this incredible way of overcoming every obstacle without ever letting it slow her down,” he said. “She’s constantly proving that she can handle anything thrown her way. Seriously, nothing seems to stop her and I just know she’s going to do huge things in the world.”
Moore has not finalized her college plans for the fall, other than she wants to focus on media studies. She’s thought of attending San Diego State so she can also dance in Southern California. One of her dreams is to dance for the NBA and she’d like to see if she can make it happen.
“Mainly I want to be able to do something in dance,” she said. “I know that things are going to work out.”