Skip to main content

My History as a Dancer

 Since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with anything related to dancing. 

My journey as a dancer began about 12 years ago when I was a little girl, about the age of 3. I had a book about a little ballerina, called I Wear My Tutu Everywhere. I also danced around the house more than I walked, so it wasn’t long before my mom realized my interest in ballet. She got me a dancing dvd so I could practice at home, and looked for ballet flats for my little feet, but couldn’t find any, so instead she got me thin house shoes that resembled ballet shoes. 

As my love for the art of dancing grew, my mom decided to put me in dance class. She put me in a dance school which I danced at for one year, until I was about five. 

We eventually moved across the state to a small town. One of my kindergarten friends took ballet classes at a nearby ballet studio, and her mom recommended the studio to my mom. My mom contacted the studio about a year and a half later, and I remember going into it as a 7-year-old for an interview with some of the staff members. Sometime while I was there for the interview I watched an older level in class, and I remember my awe as I stared at the students working hard, and not only then, but for a long time afterward I longed to be one of them. The interview was simple enough, and later we found out I was accepted into the school to continue my barely developed dance training. 

I started out going to the studio right away, in the middle of the year, one day a week for 45 minutes. I adored my new studio and looked forward to each class. As the years passed, I grew stronger and more skilled as a dancer, and was promoted to the next level about every year. We ended up moving to the town where my dance studio is, which makes it a million times easier to travel back and forth between classes since I am currently going four days a week for hours at a time.

One memory that stands out to me was when I found out that I had not been moved up in the fall, and I was devastated. Yet I was determined to prove myself worthy of the next level, so I worked hard, which ended up paying off because about two weeks later, we got an email from my studio with the news that I had gotten promoted to the next level, at which I was overjoyed. 

Another one of my favorite memories was when I moved up in the middle of the year with a friend. This is a long story about a semester that suddenly presented new challenges in dance that I’d never faced before, and a story I will share in a later post.

I’m writing this after seven and a half years at my studio. This past year I danced in the level before Apprentice, which is the last level before Company. This year (2020-2021) will be my eighth year at my current studio. This year has had many huge milestones, especially in dance, which I will be sharing more about soon.

I am now an advanced ballerina, and I have experience in ballet, pointe, contemporary, hip hop, tap, swing dance, and am looking forward to learning new types of dancing. I’ve participated in over 25 performances and recitals, at least 8 summer workshops, and have taught two summer workshops of my own, which I am looking forward to blogging about in more detail soon.

One of my favorite things about dancing is that I can worship God through it while doing something I love. I’m so blessed to be part of a studio that is centered around God and where my teachers help me grow not only as a dancer, but also as a Christian.

I’m starting this blog to share my love for dance, God, and life, and I hope it brings encouragement not only to dancers but to anyone who reads it!



Dancing4Jesus

Psalm 149:3~ Let them praise his name with dancing. (NIV)


Contact me here: dancing4jesus20@gmail.com

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dressing Modestly for Ballet

Dressing modestly in the ballet world- and not spending a fortune while at it- is definitely a real struggle. It was easy as a young dancer to dress modestly. Leotards were high in the front and back and skirts were appropriate length. Everything was cheap and easy to find. They even have a section at Walmart with little girl's ballet clothes. Once you start wearing women's sizes, though, everything changes. Dancewear stores aren't very common, so looking online is what most older dancers do. And then to find inexpensive, pretty, and appropriate leotards that match the dress code can take a long time. In this post I'm going to share what dressing modestly in ballet looks like, as well as some online dancewear stores you can try. Dress code is the biggest problem for a lot of dancers. Unless you can find a school who's dress code lines up with your beliefs, you've got a decision to make. If the dress code, whether for class or performances is inappropriate, don...
Post a Comment
Read more

Summer Workshop 2021!

Five days till summer workshop! For the first time in two years, I'm going to attend a summer workshop at my studio! Ever since I was seven, I attended my studio's summer workshop annually. Then, in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing the worldwide lockdown. Because of this, I had to miss the workshop for the first time in eight years. But after resuming classes in August, the workshop will continue as usual too.  This year I'll be taking classes in Ballet Technique, Pointe, Choreography, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Yoga, and Conditioning. The workshop lasts two weeks, five days a week, and I'll be going six hours the first week, and eight or more hours the second week.  The extra two hours during the second week are due to the fact that I'll be teaching two classes this year! I'm tempted to share the story behind this right now, but I'm going to wait and share it next week. So keep an eye out! My posts the next couple of months will re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back To Dance Series- How to Avoid Injuries as You Go Back to Dance

It's easier than usual to get injured at the sta rt of a new year of dance. In today's post, you'll learn why that is, and what you can do to prevent it. Why are you more likely to get injured now? One reason is, after months of no classes, or less classes than normal, you won't have the strength and stamina you had months ago. Your muscles will get tired faster, which will result in less support for your joints.  The other reason is dancers are more likely to push themselves beyond their limits. Whether it's out of excitement or an effort to prove themselves at the start of a new school year, dancers can actually work too hard.  What can you do to prevent injuries? Now that you know why injuries are more likely to occur right now, I'm going to show you what you can do to help prevent it. To start with, go slow. Build your body back up to what it was capable of before summer. Listen to your body, and if you feel fatigue or pain, take it easy. Only attempt things...
Post a Comment
Read more