The ballet family

The girls I dance with are like my sisters. It's like a big family. Some of the girls I would never have ever thought I would hang out with. But ballet has brought us together. It's a odd thing to think about sometimes. Because, I don't have to like the girls I dance with or talk to them, but no matter what ballet brings us together because of this. I know I will be excepted, just because in the studio we are one thing and one thing only and that is being a dancer. It seriously brings people together. It's like a big dance family. We all have the same goals and dream; being the best. But even though we are our own competition, we all still are like a family even when we fight over who gets to be in the center of the stage. It's like a family. Whether we like each other or not, we are still a team, and still a family. 

Before the Show

Before the Show, is probably one of the scariest things that I have gone through. All I can hear is my heart steadily pounding. I feel my cold clammy hands against my tights, and the sudden urge to use the bathroom. It's seriously scary. Once you get backstage there is no going back. I remember sitting there and stretching and hoping that I won't fall. In my opinion falling or messing up isn't the worst thing you can do. Showing that your about to fall or messing up is. Every single one of my ballet and regular dance teachers say the same thing, "if you mess up, fine, but don't show it on your face." I have done it, I would mess up once and think there is no way to redeem myself. But after awhile I realized that what my teachers were saying was all true. The audience is having fun watching us, and watching our faces. Sometimes it's not even our footwork they are looking at. It's our faces. My mother has proven it to me. I'd get out of backstage with smeared makeup on my face and a sour look on my face. But my mother would always tell me, I didn't even notice, and she really didn't. I think back and i remember it being  really scary  backstage. But then once I'm on stage and it finally hits me, it's one of the best feelings in the world.

I recall when,

I first really really wanted to be serious about ballet. It was such a hard thing to commit to at the time. I look back and thank myself for doing it. A person who dreams of becoming a worthy dancer only thinks about the dancing itself. But then comes the training. The training is what everyone dreads. It's hard work-and that's a understatement. I remember coming home at night and thinking am I crazy for loving every minute of it? I think I really am crazy for enjoying the pain that comes with it. The training was one thing, then came the technique. Learning how to turn, learning how to leap, and learning how to keep a smile on your face while doing it. It's hard work, but I love every minute of it.  It's really scary to think about getting injured. I had never gotten hurt from the time I was eight till now. My ankle, and that's serious business. If I did permanent damage in my ankle from the nasty fall I had I think I'm going to cry. I never see myself as becoming a professional dancer, but ballet has always been my temporary escape from reality. I love ballet because there is so much passion and beauty in it. And if I can't dance because of a little slip, I don't know what I will do.

Poem

"We dance for laughter,
We dance for tears,
We dance for madness,
We dance for fears,
We dance for screams,
We are the dancers,
We create the dreams."
-Unknown

Mr. Tommy: The Ballet God

 

Mr. Tommy, one of my ballet teachers, is seriously a ballet god. He has taught me just about everything I know. He has taught me some serious technique. But what is more amazing then his talent, is the way he has inspired me. After long nights at the studio, he keeps me going. It doesn't matter how hard he pushes all of us, we still keep going. He has shown me that ballet is a hard thing. But if you dance with more than just your feet it's a lot easier. He means we need passion in order to truly be a dancer, and to truly succeed. One of the reasons I'm writing about him is because I feel like he represents ballet itself. He has passion, strength, and love for ballet. He has everything I want as a ballet dancer.

Foutte Turns

I remember when I first learned how to do foutte turns. It took me just about forever to master the movement. Maybe it was because I was only 12 and the girls in my dance class told me I couldn't do it. But I did, I learned before all the other girls. I felt pretty golden when I was the only girl in the Juniors that could do them. I learned from a YouTube video. It was brilliant. The company is called "Just for Kixs" and it seriously broke the steps down for me. It finally made perfect sense to me.