Spring 2012 - Lourdes College

student feature Meredith GarrisonLiving your passionBallet has long been a part of my life,” reflects Meredith Garrison, aToledo Ballet principal company member and high school studentenrolled at Lourdes. “The first major experience I had with balletwas as a 2 year old when my parents took me to see The Nutcracker.I was the little kid standing at the edge of the balcony watching with wide eyes,an admiring smile and applauding until the final curtain. When everyone wasleaving the theater, I turned to my parents and said, ‘do it again!’ These werethe same words I would express whenever I watched a video I loved andwanted to see it again.’Meredith’s love of ballet took flight on that relatively chilly day in Texas.From that moment, her bedtime stories transformed from favorite booksto the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. “I watchedit every night and knew exactly what was going on just by listening tothe music.” She became so enamored by the production and what thenutcracker represents that at the age of 4 she began to collect nutcrackers.Today, her collection stands at 150 and growing!Pursuing a dreamBallet is not her only interest. An excellent tennis player and swimmer, she hasalso studied violin, flute, guitar and piano. Taking dance lessons since the ageof 2, she eventually needed to make a tough decision in third grade, choosingballet over piano along with other extracurricular activities. “I loved and wasgood at both but ballet was my true passion.”The family has moved quite often – once for her mom Deborah’s career anda few times for Meredith. “My parents knew I wanted to attend a summerintensive at The Rock School for Dance Education in Pennsylvania. When itwas over, I wanted to stay and train there so mom secured a job as Deanof the School of Nursing at Widener University near Philadelphia.” After 2years of big city life however, Meredith missed the hometown feel of Toledoand in 2009, the family decided to put their roots once again in Toledo. Hermom continues to commute on the weekends while keeping her eye open fora similar position in northwest Ohio.At a young age, Meredith learned that to achieve her dreams, discipline andhard work were required. Today, she spends a minimum of 12 hours a weekfocusing on her technique with an additional 2-4 hours of rehearsal at least twicea week during production season. “Lisa Mayer Lang, School Director of the ToledoBallet, sets a very high standard for the Company. We are expected to respectnot only our teachers and directors but also to work hard and treat each otherrespectfully. We are there to support our fellow dancers because the ToledoBallet is very much based on a sense of family.”22 ATLOURDES MAGAZINE | Spring 2012