Madison Buchholtz has been quietly dancing her way to fame. The Huntington High School senior is one of the top young ballet dancers in the metropolitan area, if not the country. She has been making sacrifices that most teenagers wouldn’t even consider and the energetic young woman is thrilled with the results.
Ms. Buchholtz has been named a Long Island Arts Alliance Scholar Artist, one of just 20 such honorees in all of Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The Long Island Arts Alliance commended the Huntington teenager for her “hard work, excellent scholarship and accomplishments.” The organization recognized that Ms. Buchholtz is “dedicated to your art and a very valuable asset to your school district.”
Madison Buchholtz has made enormous sacrifices to pursue her dreams.
This marks the program’s twelfth year. Schools are limited to only one nomination in each of five categories: music, visual arts, dance and theater and media arts. Only ten Scholar Artists are recognized in each of the two counties.
“My parents first enrolled me into tap lessons at North Shore Dance when I was about 5 years old and I saw all the older girls doing ballet in other studios and I loved it so much more at first sight, so I stopped tap and started ballet,” said Ms. Buchholtz about her dancing roots.
The teenager’s senior year academic schedule includes Advanced Placement Environmental Science, Advanced Algebra, Participation in Government, Economics, Literary Fantasy and Science Fiction, Virtual Enterprise and Health.
Ms. Buchholtz is not a typical senior. “I leave school at 12:03 pm. to take the 1:08 p.m. train to Penn Station and then take the Q subway to the Upper East Side where I train six days a week for about four to five hours per day at Ballet Academy East in the pre-professional division,” she said. “I am currently in the highest level (nine) and on Thursdays, Friday’s and Saturday I work there before my classes to assist with the pre-ballet classes.”
Ms. Buchholtz’s closest friends include Maire Brown, Mia Breitbarth, Brooke Goldsmith and Danielle Lamarco.
“Madison is one of those people who can always make you laugh,” Ms. Breitbarth said. “She’s one of my best friends and I admire her so much for her dedication to ballet while also balancing high school and everything else.”
Her favorite teachers have been Paige Tyree Furman and Camille Tedeschi.
“Madison is a beautiful young woman inside and out,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “She is smart, hardworking, responsible and intrinsically motivated to succeed. I have had the pleasure of teaching her in grades nine, ten and currently 12 and I love having her as a student. I will miss seeing her in my classroom when she graduates.”
What comes next in Ms. Buchholtz’s life is still taking shape. “I will be auditioning for professional ballet companies beginning in January as well as applying to many colleges with high ranking ballet programs along with my educational studies,” she said.
Since her first days as a Jefferson Primary School kindergartener, Ms. Buchholtz’s teachers and classmates have been struck by her big heart, warm personality, friendly nature and caring smile.
“I have spent my entire educational career in the Huntington School District and I have always found the experience, teaching and camaraderie to be enriching and welcoming,” Ms. Buchholtz said. “Having a schedule like mine has not always been easy, but in the end the high school has really been able to accommodate my situation. I really love being a Blue Devil and have made so many endearing memories here.”
