Anyone who attended Coffeehouse in the past three years probably remembers seeing junior Alyssa Rasp of Hazlet perform one of her dance routines.

Rasp started dancing when she was 3 years old at a studio in Aberdeen. She began tap dancing and has continued with that style throughout the years, developing her skills and realizing her passion for dance.

Although she favors tap, Rasp also dances ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical, jazz and musical theatre. She currently dances at Creative Inspiration Academy in Hazlet.

Rasp competes in anywhere from five to eight dance competitions annually. She also performs at events such as Coffeehouse and recitals at her dance studio. She has placed in top positions for solos, duets and group dances at competitions and has also been selected for special awards.

She is also a member of the Photo Club council and can usually be found with her camera, taking snapshots of school events.

Rasp’s favorite thing about photography is just that: the ability to capture one moment’s emotion and action and keep it forever.

As a member of Photo Club Council, Rasp helped organize the Mingle and Jingle event, the Winter Ball photo booth and currently works with Lit Mag and the ePublishing classes on projects. At Photo Club meetings, she gives out weekly prompts for the “Photo of the Week.”

Rasp’s two passions often have a way of coming together.

“I love shooting my friends dancing,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll drag them to the beach with giant pieces of fabric just so we can have a mini photo shoot.”

In the future, Rasp hopes to dance for a college team. She currently aims to be a “Carolina Girl” at the University of Southern Carolina. After college she plans to go into graphic design and use her background in photography in her work.

“Even if I don’t end up in that field, I couldn’t imagine my life without photography,” Rasp said.