Dancing has been Elizabeth Davis’ passion since she was young, but in January she landed a flip incorrectly and was forced to make a decision between giving up dancing or learning to dance through her pain.
“I sat out for three weeks, which was very frustrating,” said Davis, who is one of 16 members of the Crimson Cabaret. “Then my doctor told me that I couldn’t make my foot worse by dancing on it. And dancing on it while it’s hurting, to me, is still a lot better than sitting out and watching.”
Davis has learned how to pace herself during practices so she doesn’t injure herself even further.
“She’s out there hobbling along,” said Marion Powell, coach of Crimson Cabaret. “That foot hasn’t stopped her from giving everything she can.”
Davis, a Tuscaloosa native, has been dancing for 15 years and joined the Cabaret at the University her sophomore year. Cabaret members must try out every year, regardless of whether or not they have previously been on the team.
Davis has been on the President’s List, meaning she had a grade point average of at least a 4.0, every semester since coming to college except for her spring semester freshman year, when she was on the Dean’s List (a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average).
“Elizabeth is a great dancer, but her grades are also top,” Powell said. “She’s also a Chi O, and she loves her sorority and takes many leadership roles in it.”
Powell also said she is sure Davis’ foot causes her pain during practice, but Davis never lets it show.
“I’ve tried to make sure she doesn’t push herself to the point where it’s too painful,” Powell said. “But I can’t get her off of it. She has never told me that she can’t dance.”
Only a few months after injuring her foot, another tragedy struck close to home on April 27 with Davis.
“We are going to do a lyrical dance about the storm,” Davis said.
Davis and the rest of the Cabaret competed last Friday against other SEC schools at the Universal Dance Association camp. The dance represents the devastation from the April 27 tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa.
“It really means a lot to all of us,” Davis said. “It’s very personal, and we are all really excited to get to perform it.”
Powell said Davis was an incredible asset to the team and very dedicated.
“We don’t have All-Americans in dance, but if we did, Elizabeth would be one of them,” Powell said.
