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I believe in the power of dance.

“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.” by Agnes De Mille. This quote resonates with me because when I dance, I’m transported into another world where I can be myself and not worry about what anybody thinks. It’s like an escape from the real world where I am one with myself and I feel more confident and powerful. I like to think of myself as a silhouette where you can’t see much detail and you only see an outline of the shape. My shyness can be represented by the silhouette because I don’t like talking to new people and I like to be independent. When I discovered dance, I slowly started to become more confident in myself and becoming a colorful picture instead of a silhouette. 

This all started when I was 8 years old, and my parents decided to put me into dance classes. I loved dancing but I was terrified to meet new people because I thought they would judge me if I did something wrong. So, I decided to stay in my own space and not express myself in the way I wanted to. The reason for this was that the other girls in my class were all more popular than me and I felt as if I didn’t fit in with them. After class that day when my parents picked me up and asked me how the class was and if I liked it, I started to cry and said ,

”I don’t fit in because all the other girls can dance better than me and I feel as if I am not as good.” 

My mom replied by saying, “Why does it matter how everyone else dances? You are dancing for yourself and nobody else. You don’t need to worry about who is doing what; just focus on yourself and you will do an amazing job.” 

The next week, I had classes again, and I moved forward with what my mom had said to me in mind. I entered the studio and danced my little heart out. I danced so well that my instructor told my mom after class how well I did that day. I felt so proud of myself and I’ll never forget what my mom told me.

 June 30, 2012:

The day of my dance recital. We were waiting in the changing room and everyone was helping each other with their hair and makeup and then there was me, sitting in the corner reading my book. Again I felt that feeling of “a nobody”, until one of the older girls asked me if I wanted help doing my hair and makeup. That feeling of a nobody was gone in an instant and I felt so much better going on stage. 

We were waiting in the wings backstage wearing our pink and black sequined costumes. Since it was the first time any of us had performed in front of a crowd, we were all terrified. I closed my eyes and remembered what my mom had told me the first day of classes. It gave me the courage to spread my wings as I walked onto the stage.

We danced like there was no tomorrow and after walking off stage while hearing the crowd cheering and applauding, we all went back into the change room and had a big group hug. I finally felt like I was apart of the group and had made new friends, and the support from the audience and my fellow dancers helped me realize that I didn’t have to be conservative of my dancing and that I could be confident if I just put my heart and my mind to it. 

Now, I’ve been dancing for nine years and I have grown so much mentally and physically and feel that I am a big part of this “dance family”

During this time, I learned that if I set my heart on something and if I love it so much, I don’t have to worry about what others think and be confident in myself. This impacted my life a lot because I was very conservative and shy when I was younger and now I am more powerful and sure of myself. I like to think of myself as a flower. When I was younger I was like a bud of a flower where you can’t see what it is going to turn into. Dance and my parents were the water and nutrients for the “ flower”, which helped me start to bloom. Now, I am a fully bloomed flower and people can actually see how beautiful I am and what I’m capable of.

In conclusion, I believe that dance is powerful enough to make a person establish their legacy, and this is the start of mine.