Pouring your heart and soul into a passion and seeing the hard work pay off is one of the most gratifying things that you can experience in life. This has happened to me over the past couple of years with dance. I have been dancing since the age of 3 and as a competitive dancer invest about 10-12 hours per week training, learning new techniques, and rehearsing numbers to perform on stage. The balance between school, a social life and dance can sometimes be very challenging. I often feel that I spend more time in the dance studio than I do at home with my family. Since dance is my greatest passion, I often have to pass up on social events so that I can be at the studio or at a dance competition. However, despite some of the sacrifices I have to make, I just love to dance. With every breath I take, I can feel a sense of artistic expression throughout my body. Whether I have had a good or bad day, I can set those feelings aside and just throw myself into the music and express those feelings through the art of dance. If one is truly devoted to dance, the audience will also share in those feelings with you.

Additionally, the relationships that I have formed with my mentors and teachers have been so rewarding. I find that I can go to them with not only dance related issues, but personal issues as well. This makes going to dance each and every day easier knowing that I will always have someone to talk to if there is something on my mind. These people definitely become your second family. One particular relationship that was very important to me was the relationship I had with the owner of my dance studio, Ms. Bette Ann. I spent many hours with her dancing in the studio perfecting my routines and making sure that everything was the best that it could be. I learned much more than just the art of dance from Ms. Bette Ann. She provided me with guidance, laughter and we shared endless tears of victory and defeat. She is someone who I not only admired and respected, but deeply loved. Unfortunately, this past August she passed away after a tough battle with cancer. As devastating as it was, the dance studio somehow got through it thanks to her spirit. She always stressed how important it was for us to take the confidence and strength instilled in us through the art of dance and apply it to our future, cherishing the memories along the way. Even though we struggle with the fact that Ms. Bette Ann is gone and we have to face going to dance without her everyday we know that she will always be there in spirit dancing right alongside us. Also, as upsetting as the loss of Ms. Bette Ann was to me, I was so proud that I could achieve two great accomplishments in honor of all the hard work and many hours she spent with me. These include winning the 2011 National Dance Title and being asked to help in the making of a new digital dance game from one of the largest toy companies in the country.

Winning the 2011 National Dance Title in Florida was a result of my commitment to perfecting my dance, the hard work I endure each week and my mentors talented teaching methods. It was one of my greatest, if not the greatest, accomplishment in my life thus far. I can remember the night so vividly. As I approached the stage to compete for the national title, I could feel my heart beating through my chest. Part of me was so excited to be taking that stage doing what I love to do, but the other part of me was scared to death. As I stood there waiting for the music to start I said to myself what my dance teachers have always told me, “Just dance like nobody is watching and leave it all out on the stage.” Then it happened. The music started and I danced with every ounce of feeling I had in my body. Before I knew it, the music stopped and all I could hear was applause. Breathing hard, I graciously walked off the stage, caught my breath and went to find my teachers to see how they thought I preformed. The rest was in the hands of the judges and I had to wait for another hour to hear the results.
Finally one hour later, which seemed like an eternity, all of the dancers gathered back on the stage for the awards ceremony. Hoping for my name to be called when the finalists were being announced was probably one of the most nerve-wracking yet exciting experiences that I have ever faced. As the runner- up- names were being called out, I began to feel my heart beat louder and faster. Then it happened. I heard my name announced as the national title winner. I looked out into the audience in awe and could not believe that I actually was going to be crowned as the national winner. I barely knew how to react when the diamond crown was placed on my head, the red, white and blue sash was hung across my shoulder and a bouquet of pink and yellow roses was placed in my arms. With a big smile on my face, my feelings were further magnified by the pride I saw on my teacher’s face when my eyes met hers out in the audience. We both knew that my win was her win too and we were sharing it together. This accomplishment made me realize how greatly dance has affected my life. Dance has given me self-confidence and taught me that dedication and passion can result in reward.

My second accomplishment, and more importantly reward for the dance effort I give every day, was being asked to help in the making of a digital dance game by a well known toy company. I was so excited to be given the opportunity to partake in an endeavor as big as this, however was hesitant to accept right away since I had never been involved in anything like this before. After thinking about it for a while, I decided that I would be willing to take the risk and step out of my comfort zone. I am so happy I did because what an incredible experience it was! It was fascinating to see how a game was created and all the hard work that goes into perfecting it before it is put on the shelves for everyone to buy.

The day began with me waking up one Thursday morning this past November and being extremely nervous not knowing what I was getting myself into. I had to be at the film studio at 9 AM that morning and was there for about 4 hours. When I walked into the room where I would be spending my day all I can remember is seeing bright lights, flashing cameras, a large space where I would be dancing and all of the production people staring at me. At that moment, I was somewhat overwhelmed and uneasy as to what would come next. As the minutes passed, and I stepped onto the dance floor to perform the moves that I was given I became more and more comfortable. The music was blasting and I began to repeatedly do the moves over and over again until I did them precise enough where they could be used for the game. Although it was a long, tiring day I had so much fun that I did not want the day to come to an end. Now I am patiently waiting for the game to come out of production and make it to the store shelves so that I can see how my contributions made the game become a reality. I know, once again, that Ms. Bette Ann was smiling in heaven with pride.

To some people dance is merely entertainment to keep them busy, but to me it’s so much more. Throughout the years dance has helped me to grow in various ways. Through dance, I have learned that motivation and determination are keys to success. Furthermore, I have realized that hard work really does pay off and that both self-control and discipline are not only vigorous parts of dancing, but also necessary parts of life. Overall I believe the most important lesson dance has taught me is the importance of responsibility. Without dance my life would not be complete. As Martha Graham once quoted, “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” I will carry the passion I have for dance into my future aspirations in life and hope to continue to share that passion with others.