I am, and forever will be, a self-proclaimed bunhead. Yes, I'm a pointe-shoe-wielding, classical-music-loving, ballet dancer.
Balancing ballet with the other, not so great, parts of your life is a difficult task, especially for a college student who's not a dance major. You can usually catch me running to an afternoon ballet class immediately following my last academic class of the day, or trying to eat lunch and get my hair up in a respectable bun at the same time. I wouldn't trade my hectic schedule for the world though, because ballet has given me so much more than good posture and seriously messed up toenails; ballet taught me things that I could never have survived without.
Most importantly, ballet taught me that there will always be someone better than me. There will always be someone who can jump higher, turn faster, or extend further than I can. Ballet also taught me that that's okay. Remaining humble and aware of your own limitations is key in improving.
You can not expect to continue to improve if you only focus on your strengths. If you are good at turns, give them less attention and start working on your extensions (Thanks, Lisa, for forcing adagio on us, especially when we wanted to skip it). There is always room for growth, and you can always make something better. In ballet, good is not good enough - why would you stop at 3 turns when you know there's the potential for 4?
Conversely, ballet also taught me to have self-confidence and determination. You cannot doubt your abilities when it comes to ballet; once you begin to believe you are unable to do something, you become unable to do it.
Compared to other styles of dance, I started ballet relatively late - 13 years old! - and it would have been easy for me to give up in the first few weeks. It's easy to quit when things get difficult; it's hard to keep pushing yourself when you may already feel like you're behind. Having faith in yourself is one of the only things that will help you work through rejection, mistakes, and setbacks.
Ballet taught me how to deal with disappointments and insecurity. Auditions are scary. Waiting for results is even scarier. Getting turned down, cut, or a smaller role than you had hoped for can feel like the end of the world. It can create a lot of self-doubt if you are not expecting it. The lesson I learned from auditions was that there will always be another opportunity; everything happens for a reason, and one result isn't a reflection of your abilities of potential.
Ballet taught me how to appreciate my body. Ballet dancers spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. It's easy to get caught up in how you look in a leotard and tights, but once you begin to pay attention to what your body is doing for you, you cultivate the utmost respect for it. Your body is your tool and you need to take care of it in order for it to function efficiently and correctly. I have grown to love my body for what it can do, not for how it looks.
Ballet taught me what commitment looks like. Being in a company or in a show is a major commitment. The dedication of time and energy is no joke. I have had rehearsals and performances on my birthday, 9 AM the morning after prom, the day of my graduation, and on days that conflicted with so many other smaller events. You better believe I showed up on time and prepared to every single one. I learned to honor the commitments I made to my company members, my director, and myself.
Ballet taught me how to be strong. It didn't make me just physically strong, although I definitely learned how to use a lot of new and obscure muscles. I gained a sense of inner strength, emotionally and mentally, from having to constantly push myself outside of my comfort zone, trying to be better than I was the day before, and not letting any doubt or comparison affect my motivation.
I cannot imagine my life without ballet, because ballet brought me to where I am today. I know that it is always there as a reminder of these lessons and as a source of inspiration. It can be frustrating, it can be difficult, it can be uncomfortable, but it's also one of the few things that I find comfort and release in. Ballet reminds me to not dwell on regrets or mistakes, but to get up and figure out how to improve for next time.