To dance is to not move carelessly, but to move your body with purpose and poise. Describing a dancer's career is not as easy as just dance lessons and learning technique. There is so much more to our hours in the studio and the days we spend on stage. Ultimately we are constantly learning new life lessons that we will carry with us because we had inspirational people in our lives who not only taught us dance, but cared about us. Our dance teachers are more than just educators or people we look up to -- they are our inspirations to be better dancers and better people because they treat us like family. They believe that we can reach our dreams and they believe that they have an impact on the men and women we will grow up to be.
Dance not only teaches the technique to be a better dancer, but we learn to be confident in who we are through the art of dance. We become more comfortable in front of a crowd as well as more comfortable with ourselves learning more about how our bodies move and how artistic and graceful we truly are. Dance is such a great form of discipline -- as cliché as that sounds -- we learn so much about the importance of punctuality and respect that will carry over into our everyday lives and never be forgotten.
Dance has taught me to be an individual as well as how to work with others. Goals are made and achieved through hard work, dedication and passion for this art. Not only do boys and girls learn respect for others, we learn how to be leaders. I think dance equally teaches us how to be leaders without even having to use our voices but by our actions. Learning about posture and grace is a huge part of being able to express yourself. The best part about using dance to express yourself is the several different types of dance you'll have the opportunity to learn and excel at all in one place. Not only do you get the chance to tell a story with your body, but you get to write your own story at the same time.
I'll never forget the memories and the friends I have made throughout my dancing experience. The appreciation I gained for art and music has been so inspiring to continue to live a life full of grace, confidence, and creativity. If you are reading this and you have a little boy or girl, I encourage you to send them to a dance class to be loved on and to become confident with how graceful they really are. And if you were or are a dancer reading this, thank your teachers for having such a great impact on your life and be so thankful that dance has been a part of shaping who you are today!