Dance is an art form like no other. It's speaking without words and knowing how to move one's body that causes an emotional reaction. Dance is a unique and essential human activity that connects us to the musical rhythms of life. To someone who is not a dancer or who is not familiar with the art form, it can be strange to think about. Dancing with your feet is one thing, but dancing with your heart is another.
I have danced since the age of three, taking classes in tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, and lyrical. Dance has allowed me to become more of myself as I become one with others, and the friends I have made in my 15 years of dance I truly cherish. My friends are my family. We are all very close and love one another almost as much as we love dancing. Dance brought me my second family in the friends I made and my second home in the studio.
I can never thank my dance teachers for all the life lessons they have given me. I know I can talk to them about anything and everything, and I always know that the studio is a safe place. They taught me how to be responsible and be a leader, and have given me amazing qualities that I couldn't have learned anywhere else.
Through dance I have gained confidence and learned to be humble and not give up when things don't go well. Dance taught me how to be myself even on my worst days. The only dancer you should every compare yourself to is the one you used to be, and I have learned to accept my flaws and mistakes on the dance floor.
Dance also taught me how to manage my time. Spending most of my afternoons and weekends at the studio and trying to balance school work, a job, and a social life was pretty tough. I also learned how to give and receive constructive criticism. I had to be able to hear if I was doing a step wrong or didn't know the counts, and learning to both give and receive constructive criticism will help me throughout my life.
I am grateful for my 15 years of dance, the family i have made because of it, and what it has taught me not only about life, but about myself.
