It’s more than pom poms and red lipstick. It’s more than the lights and the glitter and the uniform and the title. Dance team is all of those things and so much more. Sure, being considered a part of something big on campus is really nice, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t audition for the team for the name. I auditioned and stuck with it because I saw something in the team that would both reward and challenge me, and I couldn’t pass the opportunity up.

I’ve been a dancer since I was 2 years old, and I couldn’t imagine putting my heart and soul into anything else. Dance makes me feel better about myself, and my life would completely change without dance. Performing gives me incentive to work harder so I can have the chance to show people what I love to do. I thought my dance career would end after I graduated high school, but I was blessed with the opportunity to continue dancing and doing what I love to do, and it has made me appreciate dance more.

People ask me all the time, “Why do you do so much work for less than five minutes out on the court?” It’s the same fundamental reason why someone studies thousands of hours for a single Quiz Bowl tournament or why an actress spends countless hours per day in the theater practicing for a show she will only do twice. Because we love it. There is something about our craft and our passion that makes us work harder and be better, and we wouldn’t be complete without it. When we feel bad, we turn to the things that comfort us, and while these things may make us frustrated or sad or scared, the end result brings us more joy than we could have imagined.

I spend hours at the gym to make myself look and feel my best, and on days when I want to give up because I feel tired, drained, and worthless, I push onward. I never stop because it’s not in my nature. I’ll practice a routine over and over again even when I know it like the back of my hand because, although perfection is impossible to achieve, I want to get as close as I can get. My teammates push themselves to be their personal best, which gives me something to look up to and rally around.

Dance team isn’t strictly about dance. Anyone can dance, sure, but what makes dance team different is, well, the team. The team is made up of people from anywhere and everywhere, and no two people are the same. Each member was placed on the team for a specific reason because she brings something valuable and individual to the dynamic of the team. The team is incomplete without all members included. The individuals’ personalities work together and compliment one another to form one complete body.

Dance team has shown me that spirit of camaraderie that I desire to fulfill in my friendships and relationships. It teaches you to be strong and independent, but it also encourages you to rely on others and ask for help because, as cliché as it sounds, “we’re all in this together.”

With dance team tryouts just around the corner, I am more prepared than ever to show the judges why I deserve to dance on that court another year. I am more confident in my abilities now than ever, and I am determined to make a statement. I love this team, I love dance, but most importantly, I love myself, and my dance team has helped me believe those things with my whole heart.

Hope to see you soon, Southern Misses!