Personal Narrative: How Dance Changed My Life

Being committed to competitive dance for 15 years has immensely impacted my life, as I have not only progressed technically and performance-wise, but I have been given numerous opportunities for self growth and development. Dancing has shaped me into a well-rounded, confident individual who is able to prioritize responsibilities, cooperate and collaborate with others, and exhibit strong leadership skills. Involvement in any extra curricular can aid one in developing a true passion, and through dance, I have been fortunate to find my passion.

I have participated in many different activities and sports over the years, but the one that has stuck with me the most is dance. I started dancing when I was only seven years old, and went on to join a competitive dance team for four years. Dancing has given me many opportunities, such as being part of a team, performing, competing, and the chance to express myself through movement. Participating in dance for so many years gave me the chance to volunteer as an assistant to some of the younger dancers at my dance school, which allowed me to gain leadership skills such as communication and commitment, as well gain teaching experience. At my middle school last year, I was a co-president of the student council, and my job was to lead weekly meetings with the younger students at my school, also contributing to my leadership background.

It seems like I have been waiting years for my letter to come in the mail. Just last month I sent out my application to see if I can get into Juilliard School of Dance, in New York. I live in Springfield, Massachusetts. Juilliard is where only pro dancers, the best of the best, the real shining stars can get into. Ballet has been my passion since I could walk. If I don’t get in, my life is over! All I want to do in life is perform, not sitting down having to fill out paperwork the whole day in a crowded office, or stuck behind a fryer, serving greasy, crusty food to ungrateful customers. Ballet is my escape from that.

Since the early age of four, I have been mesmerized by classical ballet. Every week, I watched my dance teacher display her beautiful skills during class, and I hoped that I could dance as well as her someday. As my love for ballet continued to grow, my opportunities widened. In the fall of 2013, I became a member of the dance ensemble at the dance studio I attend. When I joined the Pointe Academy Dance Ensemble, my position at the dance studio shifted from being a student dancing in the back of the room, to a dancer who learned how to teach others and set a good example for younger students. To me, being a role model and using acquired experience to inspire and guide others is leadership. My dance ensemble has been my most meaningful leadership experience because it is the source of where I have become a leader.

I’m a ballet dancer at Williston School of Dance. it’s my biggest passion in life. However when I first started I hated it so much! I’ve always been a quitter, I’ve tried so many different hobbies and quit all of them : piano, violin, Archery, guitar, sewing, flute, jewelry making and knitting, as you can see from my list I was a huge quitter, as soon as something got hard I would give up.

Ever since I was six years old, ballet has defined me. I was extremely passionate about making a career for myself through dance, and I spent all of my time in dance classes instead of other extracurriculars or social activities Ballet for me began in a small basement studio, doing twirls and jumps and receiving stickers from the teacher when I worked well. At age six it was fun, but as I turned eight, it became something different. I began attending the Boston Ballet School, and a passion for dance emerged.

Trust me when I say that I know my way around a ballet barre. I have

As soon as I get home, I call a family meeting. “Guess what? Ms. Taryn is bringing a couple of students to the World Ballet Championship, and she has invited me!”

The music was blaring. Beach balls were flying everywhere. The smell of pizza, pop, and the sound of balloons bouncing to the ceiling fills the air. It was the first Middle School Dance. I had been helping set up the whole thing. Some children looked like they were dancing too hard, and were going to have a broken back in the morning. Then there were the kids who just hung back in the corner. Why do they even come? Then, I heard the stereo DJ start to move the records around. After a few songs, a Rihanna song came on. By that time the DJ and flashing lights were only about 4 feet away from me. The DJ looked at all of the teachers including me, and said, “It’s Karaoke Time!” A kid looked at me and said, “Hey,

Beginning this class I had taken some ballet before and had a good understanding of the basics even if I was not totally comfortable doing them. However, I still struggled with turning out at the hips, balancing on relevé, maintaining por de bra in an exercise, tilting my head when needed, keeping my neck long, engaging my core (especially when balancing), and using my plie in almost everything. While I was comfortable doing several other things, I know that ballet requires everything to be specifically engaged and that I could not slack in any part of my technique. Things like tilting my head, maintaining por de bra, and keeping my neck long, I am still getting used to but they are becoming more natural as I repeat them each week. It really

Have you ever had to audition for something that you have always wanted, and were scared out of your mind that all your hard work was for nothing? Well that’s how I felt this summer when I was auditioning for Claire this summer break.This summer break my summer my studio , Anderson Young Ballet Theater, has this thing we do called dance camp.

She could hear the muffled sound of the dance track playing through the walls of the dimly lit studio. "He’s here," she observes, peering in through the doors glass panel. She releases a shaky breath, relief flooding her system as she rests her forehead against the cool temperature of the door frame. Her eyes squeezing shut momentarily to gather her wits before watching him dance, a hand resting loosely on the silver door handle.

Leading a team of teenage girls is most definitely not effortless, but it is something that I’ve done with pride for the past three years. When I entered high school, I was beyond eager to join the dance team. Unfortunately, it was not even the slightest of what I had expected it to be. We rarely performed and when we did, the feeling that I obtained exceeded embarrassment. I have danced since I was three years old, but it was so terribly draining, and not even in a physical way, that I considered quitting the team. At the end of the season my freshman year, though, the coach informed us that she was quitting and offered me the captain position for the following year. So with that, I decided to stay on the team. I was determined to make my

The fastest way for a performer’s career to end is with an unexpected injury. My freshman year I suffered patella luxation, more commonly known as the dislocation of the kneecap. I was in a full leg brace for a month and a half, and then participated in physical therapy over summer break until I was cleared to return to dance for my sophomore year. The time I had to spend recuperating forced me to explore other pathways associated with my art.

Every time that the town of -------- is mentioned, my thoughts trail off to my dance recital in the year of 2010. Back then, I was a dancer at a studio called Dance Mania. My closest friend at the time, --------, and I were the only students enrolled in that class. We beamed about the recital since day one. We pondered over who would be in the audience and how we would receive this immense trophy with our names in cursive engraved on a gold strip across the bottom. I have to tell you, the costume had everything a girl in the second grade could ask for: a fluffy pink skirt lined with black sequins, all accompanied by a pink neck tie and a long sleeved shirt attached to the skirt. Just a couple weeks after the costumes were distributed, we got our pictures taken; when both of my arms were used to emphasize strong emotion to form a statuesque obtuse angle in the