Growing up in the world of dance is a very different experience than playing a sport like soccer or basketball. First of all, you see more drama than you might see in one episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s. You can try your best to avoid it, but somehow a flame will form.
I am also a firm believer than dancers mature very quickly because of the discipline in classes and strength training as well as the mix of age groups. It is not uncommon for a 10-year-old to be in class with a 16-year-old, and that can have an impact on how quickly you mature.
A dance environment is not only different because of the level of drama or the mixing of age groups, but there is more to it than that and you form habits you don’t realize until later down the road.
You can form a bun in under 10 seconds. Whether it’s a messy “hair flying everywhere” or a perfect “performance ready” ballet bun, you have mastered the technique and can complete the activity in less time than it takes to actually find the hair tie for it.
You are the go-to gal when it comes to needing eye-makeup put on. The years of eye-shadow, liquid eye-liner, and wearing falsies like they’re your real lashes is something you can complete without thinking too hard. Makes you perfect in a sorority house or a room of girls ready to go out with full makeup.
It isn’t weird for you to just start stretching your hips. Yup, we all know the stretch. Your teacher says start warming up and stretching and you hit a wide second plié like you know nothing else.
Being able to move when you hear music play is not even a question. However, you usually pull out an old routine you learned because they have been engrained in your head for a whole year’s time.
Although it isn’t preferred, you are used to uncomfortable shoes. Once you wear jazz shoes for five hours straight and dance in point shoes, there really isn’t a pain much worse. Having sore feet is a normalcy now.