Dance is a method of expression with the body, rather than the mouth. Dancing allows an individual to tell a story without the usage of oral language. The art of dance paints a picture with the dance floor as a canvas and the body as a painter's brush.

As a past dancer, I consistently told stories with my body to various pieces of music. Some of the music had lyrics, while some only had instruments. Some music was meant to portray happiness and positiveness, while some portrayed depression and heartache. Some music resembled the peaceful sounds of nature, while others resembled destruction and ruin. As a dancer, I was able to express all these emotions and display all these settings with the various movements of my body. Painters and sculptors have various tools to create their art, while the dancer utilizes just one: the human body.

I began my dance career at the age of five. At this age, I was unaware of the amazing benefits of this simple extracurricular activity. I simply enjoyed being a member of something so fun and positive. I had no idea that dancing would mold me into who I am today.

As I grew older, I created bonds with the girls I was surrounded by about three to four days per week. Once I became a young teenager, I began to realize how lucky I was to be friends with these girls. We didn't just walk or jump on each other, we became a team with an unbreakable bond. We lifted each other, held each other, jumped together, turned together and stood together. Whether it was at the barre, in the center of the floor or on the stage we were always together as one. It was impossible to not be so close to these girls when we spent 20 plus hours together per week. Long days in the studio, quick moments in the dressing rooms and long talks in the studio parking lot -- we were a family joined by one particular bond.

Dance didn't just provide me with my best friends, it also instilled the best morals. A dancer is drilled to execute movements with the highest levels of precision and accuracy, instilling the qualities of a perfectionist. Dancers display work at its highest potential, instead of settling for the bare minimum. Dancers know how to express themselves in the utmost poise and maturity when necessary. We also know how to put our hair in a bun and tie our pointe shoes in under a minute. These qualities, and much more set dancers apart from the rest.

Dance positively changed my life. It allowed me to meet my best friends, push myself to be my absolute best, display work that I did not think I was capable of and feel proud of myself for my successes. Dance placed me in a setting that was not just a building with a couple rooms and teachers, but a building with a welcoming family with many rooms filled with dedicated teachers and passionate learners.

I can't imagine myself as someone other than a dancer.