Coming from a small dance studio was a blessing I did not realize until after coming to college. The many years that I have spent at my studio and with my dance family can never be replaced. I am so grateful to have my dance studio play a large role in my life. No matter what size of a dance studio a dancer comes from, every dancer can thank his or her studio for these things!
My dance studio was a safe place.
It was somewhere I could go after a bad day at school before practice and just let everything go. There was never any judgement and I never had to worry about not having open studio time, because I knew everyone's schedule. It was the only place throughout every stage of my life that I felt like I could let all of my other issues go and be free from my stress for as long as I needed.
My teachers became my mentors.
My teachers became people I could confide in and vent to after a long day or even a long week. They were there for me through every step of my life and helped shaped me into who I am today. My teachers still keep in contact with me and have an interest in my well-being and future. Whenever I come back from school and go to visit, it feels like I am coming home and like I am going to see one of my best friends. It is a feeling that I would not change for anything.
My dance studio gave me my best friend and future maid-of-honor.
One thing that I can never thank my studio for enough is for giving me my best friend. My best friend has been there for me through all of the good and bad times. She has been the biggest supporter and blessing in my life. No matter where life has taken us, we come back to each other like nothing has changed. She has become more than my best friend, but my sister. I love our memories at the studio and outside of the studio as the same.
My dance studio has given me opportunities.
Due to the fact that my dance studio was small, I was able to student-teach and teach classes from a younger age. This exposed me to children and the special education world. These experiences have inspired me to continue my education as a special education major. It has also inspired me to want to teach dance classes for children with special needs to aid in their progress in fine and gross motor skills as well as providing a creative outlet for the children.
My dance studio is my home.
I have a home and a close-knit family I can turn to at all times. I love everyone in my studio and what they have done for me. The girls I have danced with are like my sisters and the students I have taught or have watched grow over the years make me feel so proud. My dance family is the best second family I could have ever wished for and hoped for. My dance studio gave me the best 15 years of my life and so much more.
Thank you to my dance studio for everything it has supported and guided me through. I love my second family and feel so lucky and fortunate to be a part of such an amazing studio!
"No Matter How Close Or Far Away, SMDA Is Where My Heart Will Always Stay"
