I'm thankful to have gotten the chance to be a dancer while I was growing up for all kinds of reasons. It gave me some of the greatest experiences and memories of my life. But dancers face their own unique (awkward, difficult) kinds of situations. If you grew up taking dance classes, you probably know these feelings all too well.
1. The urge to move every time you hear a song you like.
It could be anywhere. The gym. The grocery store. The car. Before you know it you’re full-on choreographing in your head, and it’s coming out physically in little spastic spurts. Everyone around you is wondering what’s wrong with you, and why you seem to be twitching uncontrollably and counting under your breath.
2. The first time your pointe instructor says, “No toe pads today.”
3. After a recital that you had like 10 different dances in, you look and feel a little like this:
4. When a creepy guy finds out you’re a dancer, and you get the “So you’re flexible…” comment.
5. Speaking of flexibility, you frequently find yourself getting into weird or flexible positions that are normal for you but freak other people out immensely...
...and they look at you like:
6. School dances always go a little something like this:
You’re standing against a wall talking with friends, while people are grinding on each other, and someone yells from the dance floor, “Why aren’t you dancing? You’re a dancer!” You don't know how to tell them that your kind of dancing really isn't like that. So you end up just kind of…
7. That embarrassing stomach pooch in your leotard when you’re on your period, and your teacher won’t let you wear a skirt in class.
8. Forever being jealous of how much air time male dancers get.
Seriously, they are not even human.
9. Being afraid to wear open-toed shoes and standing on the sidelines while all your friends get pedicures, because there’s no hope for your calloused hobo feet.
But you don't really want a pedicure anyway, because if they remove the callouses from your feet there will be hell to pay in class later.
10. Recital costumes are basically...
And those cute little sequins somehow feel like tree bark scraping across your skin every time you move.
11. Most of your friends listen to the Top 40, but you have a ton of classical and foreign music they’ve never heard of on your playlists. In fact, you probably have the most eclectic music taste out of all your friends.
They give you hesitant looks when you ask for the aux cord on road trips.
12. Person who doesn’t dance: “Those point shoes look dirty and broken. Don’t you need new ones?” You: “No. Don’t you put that evil on me.”
13. Workshops and dance camps where you have to do partner work with a stranger.
“Uhm, hi. We just met, but I have to touch you now.
14. QUICK CHANGES.
Enough said.
15. BUT... There is always that awesome, on-top-of-the-world feeling you get when you nail the performance.
These are just a few of the many different experiences dancers have. But even with all the uncomfortable and downright painful moments, and all the sacrifices we have to make (like pretty feet), we still wouldn't trade it for the world.
