We all have that one thing that we are passionate about. That one thing you live for. You get up every morning excited to do that thing that makes your day. Everyday. What is mine? Dance.
My favorite dance memory is the moment I was dancing with the professional Russian dancers, the beautiful costumes, smelling hairspray, feeling Christmas time, feeling the audience gazing at me, and an open stage; my home. I came to my home dressed with my stunning butterfly costume and my powerful pointe shoes. Dancing with three other amazing dancers, I poured my heart out on the stage. I forgot about everything except how content I am, I feel strong and confident, knowing this is where I am meant to be. Like my dance teacher once told me, I have the power; I am creating the feeling of joy for the audience. This didn’t happen overnight, it actually took 14 years.
I started dancing when I was 3 and fell in love with it. In my first recital there were only two other girls and I. We danced to the song, "Build me up buttercup." I remember the audience clapping when I did a move in the middle of the dance. Since then I became passionate about performing. I continued to dance and improve and transferred studios and started taking tap and ballet, modern, and pointe. I looked forward to going to dance class every week.
As I got older I started dancing on my own in my basement. It was my outlet for stress, anger, and anxiety. Whenever I was upset I would dance until I felt better. I danced so much that my knees began to give out and I developed patella tendinitis in both of my knees. The stage was always my home. The place I felt secure. Safe. Content. The place I knew I would always call my haven.
Dance has always been the one constant in my life. At home I have a basement; my sanctuary, to where I’ve always gone when I wanted to express my emotions: sadness, nervousness, grief, connection, worthiness, pride, and power. Dance has allowed me to release these feelings in a healthy way. One can compare this to screaming when he or she is upset. The sudden outburst takes away the pain because it takes away what has been bottled up inside one. Dance also makes me feel that I excel in an art form, and makes me feel worthy while others are putting me down. It is an escape from anything that is taking a toll on me while also helping me calm down.
Unlike other activities such as football when one may only have a few feelings like victory or defeat, dancing involves all feelings. To be a good dancer, one has to exert all their feelings into their dance movements, and in return the dancer gets all those feelings back. I would like to become a dance therapist to help others use movement to work through these feelings, just as I did.
I hope you have found your passion in life, because when you do, it’s all that you live for.
