There's always been a huge controversy involving the dance world. For ages, many brushed it off as another part of theatre and never saw its true level of difficulty. Up until the last few years, as the dance industry grew worldwide, people really started to get an understanding of how difficult dancing really is.

Well physically anyway.

Recently, BuzzFeed Video released a short documentary about five women who had trained as professional dancers for a month. Training under the intense guidance of well-known choreographer Robert Gilstrap as well as Jermeel Hewitt, one of Beyoncé's lead backup dancers.

They were a mixed group of women with very different outlooks at how the month ahead of them was going to be. Reality struck rather quickly. After training and learning and cleaning up the routine, they performed it in front of their instructor and Jermeel. Instructors are trained to give critiques to better the dancers performance. They didn't hold back on them just because it was only a month. They had spoken to them as any professional would be spoken to. As a dancer, everything is noticed. They way you each body part is positioned and how it's moving to how your facial expressions contribute, or in some cases don't, to the performance. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is untouchable in terms of criticism.

I danced for around 5 years competitively. I trained 5-6 days a week all year round for about 4-6 hours a day during the week and around 8-12 hours on Saturdays. We trained in all styles, did intense conditioning and barre work as well as learned, rehearsed and cleaned multiple routines. Everything and everyone was open to critique. Some were harsher than others. Body, face, everything you can imagine from your hair down to the way you point your feet was criticized.

The dance world, as much as I did and still do love and appreciate it, is a dog eat dog world. Many look at dancers and think "what beauty, what grace" but don't see the literal blood, sweat, and tears that come behind each individual routine. It's beautiful, but every beauty has a darkness somewhere.

And in no way am I bashing the dance world. Nor am I saying that all dancers experience that level of criticism. The truth of the matter is is that dancing is a very difficult sport/art both physically and mentally.

But will always be worth it.