Discovering My Passion: Journey into Competitive Dance

At the time, I did not know that joining a team could change my life. I did not know if I would enjoy dancing on a competitive team. During the fall of 2011, my third grade year, I started attending Mrs.Karen’s hip-hop class on Tuesdays at The Leroux School of Dance. Mrs.Karen was a patient and encouraging dance instructor. My mother was a big part of this life changing event considering she was generous and caring during this experience. She worked full time and dropped me off and picked me up at dance practice five days a week. I was kind to my fellow dancers and was open-minded about the outcomes of joining the team. I was happy throughout this whole experience and had no regrets. Furthermore, I did not realize that starting dance was the best decision I ever made. I will never forget one particular dance class. I was practicing the dance that we had just learned that day.

The first being that I had to give up the other activities that I was participating at the time. Quitting basketball and karate was upsetting, but we thought that dance would be a better opportunity because I had natural rhythm and enjoyed dancing on my own at home. In addition, I was at the dance studio five days a week for two to four hours at a time. A few nights I would eat my dinner at the studio, in-between classes. I was disappointed that I could not enjoy dinner with my parents. I had to find time for homework as well and occasionally had to miss friend’s birthday parties, which was upsetting to me, especially at that age. Conversely, I had more confidence in myself by being given the opportunity to dance competitively. I was proud of myself for taking this chance to be on the team. I worked my hardest in rehearsals and practices to be prepared for competition. Mrs.Karen helped guide me through the dance classes. My mother’s excitement did not change, she was proud of me. It was a marvelous