Backstage, senior Serena Lau feels her heart pounding. The stage lights glow as Serena takes her first steps onto the stage, the butterflies in her stomach melting into muscle memory. She starts performing on pointe, adrenaline rushing through every crevice of her body. Ballet becomes second nature — the strength and grace is all a pursuit of perfection, just out of reach. Every plie, turn, and leap in practice has all lead up to this moment.

“I love the artistry and beauty of [ballet], and being able to practice something that shouldn’t be possible for the human body,” Serena said. “Standing on your toes is something super unnatural, but when you start doing it, it gives you this feeling of joy and excitement I can’t describe. Being able to challenge myself to do something that seems impossible is something that I love to do.”

Serena started dance when she was four years old after her mother put her in ballet lessons. Initially, Serena was drawn to the warmth of the community, inspired by the dedication of dancers who she looked up to as role models to improve herself. Over time, Serena began to view dance as an outlet to express her creativity and emotions as well as improve her technique.

“I enjoy expressing myself through movement,” Serena said. “Being in classes and seeing other people showcase their talents, I get to meet a lot of really great dancers, and I’ve made a lot of friends along the way. [Dance] is just a creative way for me to express myself and my emotions, and it’s a safe space to let go of all of my frustrations.”

Even after years of dancing and experimenting with styles from hip-hop and contemporary, Serena still feels deeply connected to ballet, the style she believes serves as a foundation for all other genres of dance.

“Ballet is the most beautiful out of all five of the other styles,” Serena said. “It’s known to be a style where there is a right and a wrong, and it’s really hard to attain perfection in ballet. I like it because I’m never gonna be perfect, but I like chasing perfection and trying to make myself get better and closer to perfection.”

Throughout her dance journey, Serena has been in both Harker Dance Company (HDC) and her outside dance studio Dance Academy USA. Having danced on the HDC in her sophomore and junior years, Serena left a leaving a meaningful legacy on her fellow dancers after serving as captain last year. Dance teacher Jill Yager, who taught Serena in Study of Dance and HDC, highlights Serena’s growth over the years.

“It’s been especially fun to watch her when she’s working with other people,” Yager said. “When she has her own choreography and she’s working with other people or teaching people, it’s wonderful to see her be very strong, very empowered, very clear, because a lot of the times she gives off that she’s shy. That’s created a great deal of growth for her.”

Inspired by dances like Dinner and Diatribes choreographed by Sonia Yu (‘25) and Maya Affaki (‘25) she had seen in middle school, Serena began choreographing for the Dance Production last year. Throughout the choreography process, Serena gained a new appreciation for the countless details and behind-the-scenes work that bring a dance to life.

“There are many tiny elements that you have to think of,” Serena said. “What’s your theme? What’s the costume? How are you gonna highlight your dancers in a certain way? If you’re just a dancer, you learn the choreography, do your best with it, perform one stage, and that’s it. As choreographer, you get to express yourself creatively a lot more, and you are the one who gets to decide all of the little things that happen in the dance.”

Beyond uplifting those on the dance floor as a former HDC captain and choreographer for numerous numbers of Dance Production, Serena inspires her friends with her tireless work ethic.

Close friend senior Venus Perkins, who met Serena in middle school, values the constant compassion Serena shows to others and the quiet support she’s offered in their friendship over the years.

“Serena is a very sweet person,” Venus said. “There are a lot of moments together where I didn’t have anyone else, and she was there, and I think the world needs more people like her. She’s [also] very dedicated to her work and she really works hard and tries her best on everything, especially when it comes to dance.”

Twin brother senior Hubert Lau takes inspiration from Serena’s hardworking nature and cherishes his close sibling relationship with her, one he notes is marked by deeper understanding and closer care for one another than most sibling relationships.

“Once she’s fixed it on something, she won’t give up until she’s accomplished that,” Hubert said. “I think some of her hardworking nature has rubbed off of me; I used to push things to the very last day but [now] sometimes when I see her working so hard, I get the motivation too. Over time, she’s become more of something that I treasure and that I want to protect instead of seeing her as just my sister because we spend a lot of the time together and rarely have fights. ”

For Serena, dance has taught her stamina, persistence, and how to build a supportive community. The lessons she’s learned from dance now guide how she moves through life and shape her motto to always help others in the community.

“Be kind to everyone you meet, even though you don’t know them,” Serena said. “Pick up after trash or pick up someone’s tray if they left it behind at the lunch table, or help someone with their homework if they’re struggling. Be there for all your friends and all the people who are important to you.”

This story was originally published on Harker Aquila on April 27, 2026.