I can’t honestly tell you I remember my first dance class, because I was three, and things were a bit hazy back then. What I can tell you is that I’ve seen videos and I seemed to enjoy myself, a plucky little tot running around flapping her arms and giggling like a maniac—the fundamentals of dancing, in case you weren’t aware.

To the little girl starting dance class, you’re jumping into a whole other kind of world. You might dream of being a ballerina, or just want to cut loose and dance it out. Perhaps your mom is making you sign up, and you’d rather be anywhere else. Whatever your motive is, know that you don’t have to be the best.

To the little girl starting dance class, always do your best, but don’t let it get to you if others can turn a little faster, lift their legs a little higher, hold a relevé a little longer, or hold their arms a little tighter. All of this comes with practice, hours and hours of practice, bruises, calluses, sore muscles and ultimately exhaustion.

I tried all of the genres as I moved up in my dance studio. Ballet is full of discipline, and that’s not my forte, so even though I took ballet for many years, I never really thrived there. Tap was interesting—I’ll never forget my routine to the song from the Jungle Book, I can still hear the clicking and clacking of little tap shoes. Modern dance is for the free spirits—I’m not sure I really qualify as one of those either, but it was fun to move around in sort of a chaotic, but still rhythmic fashion.

Then there was jazz, which was always a fun time. I always had ballet before jazz, so it was sort of like recess between classes, a nice break from the strict discipline of Ballet. Finally there was hip hop, which I didn’t get to fully enjoy until Dance Company in high school. The only word that I can think of to describe it is exhilarating.

Then there’s all the bells and whistles—the ribbons, the tutus, the leotards, tie around skirts, point shoes, and grips for your feet, not forgetting the infamous ballet bun—the uniform of dancers.

Now I’m pretty competitive, and even though some people don’t think of dance as a sport, it’s still very competitive. I was good, but I wasn’t the best. That was something I realized early on, and learned to accept.

To the little girl starting dance class, I’m not going to lie to you, dance is hard. It requires discipline and a lot of focus. It requires practice and then more practice. But I promise you it’s worth it. I loved dancing, and being a dancer. I still love dancing, and I encourage anyone starting out to stick with it as long as you can.

So to the kiddos starting dance class, enjoy it. Make the most of it. Embrace it. Do your best, and have fun! It’s an amazing—sport dare I say it—and when you walk out of dance class, you’re leaving stronger than when you came in, and better for it.