Dance is more than just a sport for me. I have been dancing since I was a five-year-old with only cotton candy and Webkinz on my mind. Dance has been a way to express myself when I didn't have the courage to speak. I speak through dance, through the movements, and with beautiful music to match my feelings. It is a magical feeling to completely leave everything you have on the dance floor. In my opinion, it's the best form of mental therapy. Sadness, stress, and anxiety are released when you move to the harmonious sound of music.

Heartbreak, the stress of school, family issues, and depression are all obstacles I've overcome with the help of my dance shoes and music. I truly encourage more people to give it a try. Even if you are the person who can't touch your toes, dance is what you make of it. There is no wrong movement. You dance however makes you feel happiest. That's what I love most about this sport. This therapeutically-fashioned art is open to anyone with a creative mind and a rhythm to dance to. Sometimes I don't love what I am doing or how I am moving to the music, but it doesn't matter! You can play with so many forms of dance and just have fun with it.

To be ignorant of the benefits of this art is to be ignoring what you may need to heal. Dance heals me in times of sorrow, times of stress, and even in times of happiness. I don't just turn to dancing when I am going through a rough time. My happy place is when I dance and this is the best way for me to express myself. Release everything I am feeling, or everything I want to feel. Dreaming of my biggest hopes and dreams while I dance with effort and strength is the best way I release the anxiety I have towards my future.

Dance, or don't dance. But don't knock it until you try it. You might find great happiness with this, as I do. You might just find a better way to cope with your feelings. You might find a better way to express yourself when words won't form. You might just find everything you knew you needed.