Determination, humbleness, and hard-working. All of these perfectly display what kind of a person and performer Christina Morales, 23, dance major is on and off the dance studio.

Morales believes dancing is all in the perception.

“How you perceive things differently, every dance, everyone sees differently,” Morales said. “Each person can take it in a good way, bad way, or a way to open someone up.”

Morales attended South High School in Torrance, and she danced in her sophomore and junior year. However, Morales quit dance and then saw the opportunity to start dancing again at EC.

“I started again because I just wanted to take a class and I guess I wasn’t really sure about it,” Morales said. “But as soon as I took the class again, I knew that it was something I really wanted to pursue.”

Morales is currently working on a solo and group piece for the upcoming Fall Dance Concert.

Morales’ goal for her piece is “to remind everyone about moments in life that we pass by or that we forget to pay attention to whether it be flowers or the sunshine and all the good things we have around us that we tend to miss when we’re going through our daily routine,” Morales said.

Daniel Berney, Morales’ dance instructor, explains her growth as a dancer.

“She’s grown a lot. She had a lot of those qualities inherent in her (such as) her dedication. She didn’t probably realize what it takes to excel as a dancer and a choreographer,” Berney said. ”She really put a lot of effort into that so we’ve seen a major growth in both areas.”

Co-choreographer of Morales, Evelyn Sanchez, 23, psychology major, enjoys her company and illustrates how important she is to the dance group.

“She’s fun to work with in rehearsals,” Sanchez said. “It’s a good balance of getting it done but also allowing us to make mistakes and not feeling guilty or stressed out about it.”

Morales sets her goals as a performer and student to a high standard in which she strives to be the best she can be.

“My goals as a student are to be better than what I am now. As a performer, to constantly give it my all,” Morales said. “To constantly put everything out there on the stage every single time I perform.”

Morales overcame several challenges along the way.

“Two years ago or a year and a half ago I hurt my knee and it was right in the middle of rehearsals, so I had to stop,” Morales said. “The hardest part was coming to school and then sitting out and watching everyone dance but I did not do anything.”

The aftermath of her injury still has lingering issues that she must overcome.

“I still have knee problems every now and then but not as bad as it was before. I was out for maybe a year. I had to do physical therapy and kind of start all over again,” Morales said.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, it has fueled her determination and hunger to return to performing.

“I wish I could bring that year back,” Morales said. “But because that happened it made me realize more that I did really want to be here in the dance department, dancing and performing.”

As a result of her injury, Morales got a tattoo on her arm that says ‘Fear is the thief of dreams.’

“Before (the injury) I was afraid of putting myself out there in the studio. I was in a shell, a very quiet person.” Morales said. “After I hurt my knee there were all these things I had to overcome (such as) take work off and stop dancing. I realized I can’t keep letting fear stop me from doing what I want to do.”

Her group’s upcoming Fall Dance Concert runs from Nov. 20-23 at the Campus Theatre.