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“To dance is to be out of yourself.
Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and
it is yours for the taking.” --Agnes De Mille
Dance
has been a part of my life since the age of three. It was then that my mom entered the Academy of Ballet and enrolled her cosmic ball of
energy in dance classes, praying for a creative outlet. It not only provided her piece of mind, it
produced a beloved hobby I would come to adore.
Thirteen years later, I have literally danced my way through life.
While
I have spent my life dancing classically, nothing makes me happier than dancing
in my kitchen to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
Whether I am killing myself in pointe shoes and stretching to reach that
perfect arabesque or sliding in my socks on hardwood floors, dancing fills me
with bliss and contentment. It provides a feeling of enjoyment completely
independent of the type of dance. It could be Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” or one of Beyonce’s
new grooves, but, as long as I am dancing, I am happy.
A
free soul can gain extensive happiness through the art of dance, and a meek
soul can be danced to freedom. Some can
only dance alone, petrified by the thought of anyone seeing them do the Elvis
Pelvis to “You ‘Aint Nothing but a Hound Dog.” Others can mount the stage many
times a year or allow themselves to be pushed to the middle of a bustling dance
floor. To enjoy dancing, you need not be
good, as singing often requires. You can
be short or tall, large or small, old or young, talented or not; if you truly
enjoy it, dancing will provide you the same amount of joy it would bring to a
professional.
Dancing
can display many different emotions. It
can make someone feel attractive and carefree, or display a deep bond between
two people. At a wedding, a
father-daughter dance is a moment of bittersweet happiness, while the bride and
groom’s first dance is a moment of deep love and excitement for the
future. Teenage girls, myself included,
find dancing together a great source of fun and giggles and many late nights
have seen my friends and me singing into hairbrushes and boogieing in our
pajamas.
Following the
example of the likes of Tom Cruise (he danced in his foyer clad in boxers and
socks) and Kevin Bacon (who risked his criminal record to bring dancing back to
Beaumont
teens), I have let dancing carry me through life. It has provided great friends who share my
passion, mentors who have guided me and taught me their craft, and a deep
appreciation for a wonderful art. Aside
from the classical aspect, dancing has given me self-confidence and
appreciation, a great stress reliever, and a fun way to stay in shape. Standing at 5’1”, I have earned the nickname
“Tiny Dancer” taken from the Elton John song, and dancing truly has shaped my
identity and helped me become the maturing young woman I stand as today. Whether
it is with girls, boys, instructors, the family cat, or no one at all, I enjoy
dancing in every way. As the Wicked song
states, I really am “dancing through life.”
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