I knew it would come, my last time on stage, that final dance. I started dancing at a young age and rediscovered my passion for it my freshman year of high school. For me, dance wasn't just a hobby; it was a way to express myself, to feel the beat of the music and to portray emotion with every movement. Along with senior year came my last year of dance. I knew it would be hard but now that it's over I never would've expected it to be as hard as it was.
I took four classes -- ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical -- and each had its own dance. They were all good dances, but my final ballet dance will hold a special place in my heart. In that particular class it was me and two other senior girls. Shortly after we started choreography in February, our teacher said we three seniors would have our own senior part in the dance. I was so excited -- those girls and I had become close since we saw each other every week, but that part in the dance brought us even closer.
After almost 40 weeks of classes, numerous bruises, endless laughter and hours of costume alterations, it was time to dance on stage. The way my studio worked was the weekend before the show was spent on stage, spacing and practicing each and every dance until it was perfected. Then it was time for dress rehearsal and finally the show. There are so many emotions that go through your head before going on stage. Excitement, nerves, that moment when your stomach drops because you can't remember that first step. Yet the moment that music starts, everything falls into place, muscle memory takes over and you kill the dance.
After all of the dances were over, bows were taken and thanks yous were said, it was time for senior recognition. There were a total of 10 of us seniors standing at the front of the stage and the studio owner called us up one by one to acknowledge that our time at the studio was over but also to share where we are going next in life. We're all going on to bigger and better things, but it was a very bittersweet moment. My specific class was a combination of girls from a variety of different grade levels. I won't lie, I was a hot mess -- so many tears were shed after that final show -- but in the end it was all worth it.
Again, saying those final goodbyes to the girls who still have years left at the studio was so hard. My heart broke as we cried together because I wouldn't be seeing them again until I am able to come home from college. To those girls, I love you and keep dancing. I will miss you. As excited as I am to moving on to bigger and better things I will never forget that studio or the girls I met there. I'm sure I'm not alone; for me it was a dance recital, but that last football game, lacrosse sectional or musical performance is tough. They make us realize how special those things are in our lives and how much we will miss them as we leave home and start on a new journey.
