Cal High senior Gisela Lau enters the dance stage with the studio lights beaming on her face.
She carries the weight of her hard work and years of experience as she flies across the stage, hundreds of people watching intently and waiting to witness Lau’s vibrant display.
Lau’s dance career began at the of age seven when she decided to ask her mom to put her in a couple classes, and, soon, she fell in love.
Lau is trained in a variety of styles, such as ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, and modern. But her favorite styles are ballet and contemporary.
Lau has been dancing competitively since the age of nine and currently dances at Westlake School for the Performing Arts (WSPA) in Daly City.
“I am interested in pursuing concert dance, so right now I’m focusing mostly on ballet and contemporary,” Lau said.
Lau finished among the top ten for the soloist category during her performance at New York City Dance Alliance, and finished sixth overall at the Adrenaline dance competition in San Jose in March 2024.
Lau feels that her WSPA dance instructors, Kira Fargas and Hadassah Perry, are the ones she trusts and looks up to the most. Fargas said Lau is a very hard worker and navigates through every challenge she faces.
She also sees her generosity and thoughtfulness toward her teammates, which helps elevate the energy in the room.
These words are very moving to Lau and inspire her work harder everyday.
Perry said that Lau’s best attribute is that she is the kind of student people will always remember.
“Despite Lau’s challenges, she tackles it head-on with determination and a willingness to go above and beyond,” Perry said. “Her incredible work ethic is truly inspiring, and I am constantly in awe of her commitment and drive.”
Lau likes how dance is an expression of art combined with athleticism that fosters a personal story, believing that it’s a valuable form of communication and storytelling.
With all the hard work Lau puts into dance, she said her mom is her biggest supporter. She appreciates it when her mom drives to her practice, travels with her to every audition, and watches all of her performances.
Two of Lau’s closest friends, Lucy Lin and Maya Murakami, adore her.
Murakami and Lau met at a dance competition in Phoenix in July of 2024. They immediately bonded on their first day of meeting each other and have since rehearsed together nine times.
“Gisela is the most hard working and determined person I know, though she has to balance the incredible rigor of hours of dance and hours of school work,” Murakami wrote in an email to The Californian. “She will always be 100% as a friend, making time to check in, chat, and have a laugh.”
Lin and Lau knew each other from past competitions but they became closer after Lau moved studios and joined her friend at WSPA. Lau previously attended San Ramon Valley Dance Academy before changing studios.
Lau said they instantly clicked because they were both going through almost the same process and applied to the same college program.
“I love how honest and open Lau is,” Lin wrote in an email. “I admire how she always focuses and takes things seriously even when you’re tired.”
Many dancers who have been participating in the sport have experienced the pressure to quit due to stress and sometimes negative communities. But Lau has never felt the need to leave dance because she has a flame of passion burning brightly within her.
The only thing that bothers Lau is the commute to her studio, which is about an hour away just south of San Francisco. Commuting several times a week can become very tedious and sometimes it’s hard to manage her school work with her demanding dance career.
Lau centers her daily schedule around dance, sometimes leaving school during lunch to attend a private audition or an audition filming session. Even when this happens, she still has her scheduled dance classes the following afternoon and arrives home to begin her school work at around 10:30 p.m.
Lau also takes four AP classes, which require a lot of additional time and commitment to her studies.
On top of her school work, Lau dances 20 hours a week, and has spent countless hours applying for colleges.
But in the end, she makes it work.
Lau intends to major in dance as she wants to pursue a professional career. Lau was accepted to the University of Michigan for dance. But she also is interested in chemistry, having been accepted to UC Berkeley as a chemistry major.
Lau is aware that dance is a difficult career, but she couldn’t imagine doing anything else that would bring her the same level of fulfillment.
Although she cares about school and pushes herself academically, no matter what college she ends up attending or what career she enters, she knows what she wants.
