Dance improves more than your flexibility, your social life or even your muscle strength. Growing up a dancer I was not merely taught just how to pick up choreography, but how to apply multiple lessons from class into real-life situations. Think about it, the qualities you take on as a dancer do not confine purely in a studio. From self confidence to teamwork, here are twenty life lessons you discover from dance that may help you succeed at school and work, too.

1. Everything in life is about balance.

In a society strict in finishing every task put in one's possession, dance plays the opposite role which goes outside the classroom- it can never finished. The challenge for most arises in short of feeling accomplishment in saying "I'm done." While you can finish your dinner,your shift at work, your homework, a workout or your season 8 on Netflix, to be done or complete in dance is a bit like being dead. There is internal stillness in being comfortable with the undone, with the cycle of never-ending. We were trained to constantly be grinding ourselves each day in and day out that we lose the ability to realize that life is a dance and we are forever moving through it. Dance is not a fixed part of our lives, it is an everyday performance.

2. You will never get the right amount of sleep you deserve.

Many of us live in a life that is consumed by more activities, more demands, and more commitments. The one thing that we all have equally is the amount of time. A day is still 24 hours long. A minute is still sixty seconds in length. We choose how we use that time and what our focus will be. It is part of our "job" to embrace the fact that a healthy 8 hours of sleep is not going to happen. Unlike many of our fellow high school or college students or friends, you will probably find yourself heavily involved in dance events that do not necessarily earn you credit, but are nonetheless, worth it or for some programs required. However, these obligations you put yourself through usually come with an informal or formal performance which, in comparison to taking your classes, is why you said "yes" or auditioned in the first place.

3. Having thick skin is necessary to survive.

Sustaining a motivation is in large part a matter of visualizing your goals, and breaking them into smaller steps. Just like a human relationship not everyone you meet is going to like you and vice versa. This never gave permit to giving up on each individual you came across, but trying again...and again, and again. Energize yourself and your environment by keeping up with skills and taking the initiative to move yourself and work forward. So you did not get that call-back you wanted at your last audition, but at least you took the chance and perhaps next time around you will be better prepared or more aware of what is to be expected. Regardless, you went and you took part. Treat yourself with a hot coffee or that chocolate glazed donut with the colored sprinkles you were drooling at walking down the block on the way to your audition. You are only human, and you will find the place that is meant for you.

4. Time management.

5. Team work.

With newer technology established into the work field more each day there is a tendency to lose sight of the face-to-face collaborations. Within dance classes part of the process is about direct contact between dancers, teachers, students, etc., which is vastly becoming a rarity in many other occupations. While our cell phones can allow us to contact with anyone via Skype, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, emailing, texting, from cubicles, home offices and even vehicles now, there is a dramatic loss in terms of communication in person. Dancers talk with their bodies, it is not a new phenomenon, but they are able to do so in part because of their understanding of the human language both internally and externally. As it is, dance is a conversation between the body and soul.

6. Passion.

Sore muscles, bruises, long hours at the studio, or failed competitions are all setbacks, but they are the life of the dancer. There is no success without failure, and “success” in dance means never giving up even when the world is going against you. I am sure your parents, guardians or friends will feel sorry for you at first if you chose to give up dancing, but at the end of the day they see no problem in saving those extra thousands of dollars spent on your tuition or paying for your classes. If you do not love what you do, or believe in yourself rather who will?

7. It is OK to make mistakes.

We’re not perfect, and we are attending school to learn and grow, not to prove to ourselves that we never make mistakes. So you had a bad day and bombed a quiz, so you forgot to do the reading for class and made a fool out of yourself in a discussion, so you fell asleep on the floor in the middle of your modern class and the professor had to wake you up… twice. I’m here to tell you that in 20 years, you most likely will not remember that one failed quiz. Making mistakes or getting corrections means your professor is paying attention to you. They are seeking for progress not perfection. The dance atmosphere is filled with action and diverse movers constantly at practice with their craft. Trust the faculty's judgment as they want you to succeed just as much as you do yourself. Although you may have your own opinion your teachers come with years of training, education and experience which should not be discounted. Unless you feel you are being put at risk physically with your health you should never close doors to suggestions. Listen intently, and pay attention to the others around you- their concepts and guidance- particularly when so much is about competing for a teacher's attention anyways.

8. Family is not just blood.

9. Humility.

This taught me to be humble and try my best regardless of receiving an award or not.

10. Push beyond my limitations, but recognize them as well.

Practice may make perfect, but if we fail to take care of our bodies and our health, we will not be able to show for it. You need to own your body to own your mind. Staying in good health is critical to every dance performance, but it is also the foundation for a long and happy life. Do not overly push your constraints to make yourself "look better" next to someone else, because in the end the only person you are hurting is yourself.

11. Hard work pays off.

12. Positive self-image.

Unfortunately this sport (yes, dancers are athletes, too) involves a heavy portion of staring at one's self in a mirror for hours on end- and in a leotard and tights no less! However it is important to keep in mind that the confidence you have in yourself is the imagery you will display in person. My first dance teacher would always put me in the front during class so that I would have to think for myself and not depend on others to show me the way--i.e., to gain confidence. By doing this I was able to feel proud in not only my body movements, but my mental stability too in remembering combinations, facings, directions, and building my spatial awareness. It prompted me to not worry less about what I looked like if I felt strong enough in my own skill.

13. Do not compare yourself to someone else in the room.

Every person has their own story- a journey we have no idea about. It is not fair to our own self-worth in appreciating what someone else has that you may not. You cannot measure up your chapter 1 to another's chapter 20.

14. Dedication.

We certainly do not do it for the money, or lack of. Do what you love and the business will follow.

15. Be flexible.

Flexibility goes beyond stretching exercises (although that high leg is nice too), practice, and pushing your own boundaries. It means adapting to new people, settings and situations, and even our defeats and losses. There is not one choreographer out there who will hire someone they see working half as much as the next or simply not putting in the time because she is tired or hungry. It is the awareness of one’s growing potential, but with that comes learning to accept change- scheduling, meals and food periods (you are either eating dinner at 3 p.m. or 11 p.m.), putting on the costume you are asked to acquire or hair extensions, and picking up or modeling new choreography and material despite how you may truly feel about it.

16. Appreciate those who support you.

17. Your reputation goes a long way.

The dance world is smaller than you think. If you are consistently late, stressed, showing up ill-prepared or unable to dance, displaying attitude, or giving less than 100 percent effort, word will pass among fellow classmates and faculty placing your name at the bottom of the list- or worse the top of who not to cast. While your reputation may not always make it past your collegiate background, your lack of experience will speak for itself for future auditions. In this case be professional at all times. Always take your classes as if they were auditions. Ultimately you are prepping for a professional life and whether you think it does not mean much this could be what flags you over the next person.

18. See as many diverse companies and performances as you can.

After all, your education is not limited to solely attending classes. How will you know what you like or dislike if you are not aware of what is out there? In expanding your knowledge you are also enlarging your heart which sometimes knows things the mind could not always explain. Beauty can be found in anything and this experience just so happens to be a visually appealing as well as an enlightening one.

19. It is normal to receive countless of bruises and scars.

Change your perspective into seeing your battle wounds as trophies or a significance of your effort and participation in class. Chances are your classmates either look the same- or worse. The teacher asked for "full-out" combinations every class and you gave it to them.

20. Learn from every class you take.

Good or bad each class follows a lesson and has something you can take away from.