My mom decided to put me into dance classes when I was four. They were after school a couple times a week, and at the end of the year there was a big recital for each of the classes to show off what they’ve done. I loved dancing from the time I started. But then they put me on a stage where everyone could see me. I froze. The curtain wasn’t even up yet and five year old me was in tears. Both my mom and my teacher were terrified that I would just stand there on that stage, frozen in terror. When the curtain opened, they both got quite the shock when I jumped up with the biggest smile on my face.

That is the exact moment the dancer in me was born. Dance became my life after that. It wasn’t just an after-school activity. I did my homework amongst piles of dance shoes and school uniforms while I waited for the class before mine to let out. I stretched and practiced in the dining room while my dad made dinner. I was a dancer. It was through dance that I became who I am and made the friends that helped me get here. It was through dance that I learned some of the most important lessons of my life.

There is no “I can’t.”

“I can’t” was a phrase that we were not allowed to utter at dance. If we were asked to do something we didn't think we could do, we tried. We tried until we could and we helped each other get there. It taught me not to give up before I try. Both in dance and in other areas of my life, this became a valuable lesson.

Because I can.

It wasn’t always easy to keep “can’t” out of my vocabulary, though. I was told to do a whole dance with a bottle on my head. It was impossible. I couldn’t get that bottle to stay on my head while I moved. None of us could. It seemed cruel when our choreographer refused to let us attach the bottles to our hats. We practiced every chance we got and it wasn’t until the dress rehearsal, just a few days before opening night, that we all got it. It seemed impossible, but we did it. And the excitement and pride that we felt after that could never be beat. It was because we were pushed that we performed so well.

Every person matters.

When doing a group dance, there is no one person in the spotlight. It may seem, at times, that everyone’s attention will be focused on that one person, but every single dancer matters.

Be proud.

Dance taught me to be proud of what I do. Seeing my parents faces after I perform gave me so much pride. All year, while I worked on my moves, and practiced my dances I thought about the proud looks on my parents faces and it made me work harder. But it wasn’t their pride I was working for, it was my own. Performing my best and making my parents proud made me proud of myself.

Be yourself.

In dance and in everyday life, it is important to focus on your own strengths and weaknesses. Don’t focus on what someone else can do. That’s unimportant. You are one part of a whole, but not every piece of a machine does the same thing. The best machines are made up of different pieces that do different things.

Dance was not just a hobby for me. Dance taught me how to be me. Without the teachers who have pushed me and taught me, I would be a different person. Without the other students who learned with me and helped me grow, I wouldn't be me. Without dance, I don't know where I would be. I may not dance much anymore, but I will always be a dancer.