Dancers have come far to try and break the harsh stereotypes that still exist today. Dance, although it may look “cute,” is truly blood, sweat, and tears. Many outsiders believe we only eat a cracker a day so we can look skinny, but trust me, we get these bodies from dancing almost six to nine hours a day. If you think dancers are supposed look slender, think again (take a look at Misty Copeland, who has more definition to her calves than most people ever will). Dance seems to always comes around negatively due its stereotypes but there are so many life lessons I have gained from being a dancer all my life.

Burning bridges burns dreams.

The most important lesson dance taught to me is respect. As an artist, your “world” is very small and your teacher is most likely in contact with professional dancers and other dance companies. Disrespecting a teacher or fellow dancer will not land you among the stars. What many juvenile dancers do not realize is that not giving every class your very best is not only disrespectful to the teacher, but also to your body and passion. Do not burn bridges, they may seem small but they can take you to many other avenues. It also helped that my parents drilled manners into me since I was little, but dance taught me to not only respect authority but also to respect my teammates, the music, my body and myself.

Positivity goes a long way.

I remember my dance teacher always telling me to get out of my head. Dance relies very heavily on your mental and physical stamina. Most of the time my brain (thoughts) would be weighing me down in a routine or simple barre combination. Your brain can easily work against you if you let it. As a dancer you must use your brain to your advantage. Constantly training your brain to not give up, because once you give up mentally you will follow through physically. I can’t tell you how many times I pushed myself through dances by just lying to myself that this was the last eight count or “hey this is the easiest part of the dance, calm down and really breathe here.” Positivity not only helped me in my dance life but has certainly helped me overcome many obstacles in my life. With all the countless times that I had to hear people critique my body type and all the reasons why I would never be able to become a professional dancer, dance prepared me to stay positive no matter how many times I heard "no" instead of "you are hired." I never gave up, I just developed thick skin.

Confidence is key.

Dance rallied my confidence. I will never forget the time I did my first pirouette, to my first fouetté turn to intense partnering routines, or walking on stage for my solo. Dance drilled me to have pride in myself and in my work, because if I did not have that pride, my technique and routines would be meaningless. Dance comes from what you are feeling in that exact nano-second. If you are not confident in your work it will show, you will not be into the music or into the movement. See why positivity is important now? It leads to confidence. In my life, dance helped me be able to not only dance in front of people but it also instilled the confidence within me to enjoy public speaking. Without the confidence from dance, I strongly believe I would be no where near the person I have become today.

Being a team player makes the team work.

As much as a dance can be a solo work, it is also so important to work with other artists. Dance always made team work enjoyable (okay well not the “crap we all forgot what comes next in the routine” or Sally Sue won't come to rehearsals on time). Being on a dance team, you should be able to write a list of the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates. Take advantage of their weaknesses and strengths and use it to make the dance as best as it can be. Help your teammate with the part they seem to always mess up (that was me). If someone is constantly late, drive them to rehearsal. When one of your teammates is feeling low, get together and see what you can do to help. This is called being a team player. Many people believe that a person’s issue is not their issue to deal with, and when it comes to being in a dance with other dancers, this is NOT the case. If you are truly a dancer and want the dance to succeed, focus on the routine and the well-being of your fellow dancers within it. Understanding teamwork early on helps in every single aspect of life, and dance taught me that.

Patience is a virtue.

"It takes ten years, usually, to make a dancer. It takes ten years of handling the instrument,handling the material with which you are dealing, for you to know it completely.”(Martha Graham) 10 years. TEN YEARS. I have been dancing longer than ten years and I can tell you I am no where near the skill level of a professional dancer. Patience is important when coming across a difficult routine, waiting for an injury to heal or perfecting your pirouettes. Dance is muscle memory. Tell yourself to be patient and eventually you will have the turn out you want, or that beautiful high arabesque, or being accepted into your dream dance company.

"Dancers are the athletes of god." - Albert Einstein