My story
When I was about 5 years old my mom signed me up for dance at a local recreation center, to me it seemed cool but when I got there it was very different, the teacher scared me with her trying to get us to go on to our tippie toes by us 'reaching up to try to grab an apple from a tree'. I ran out crying and screaming, telling my mom that I was scared, and never returned. I guess you could say that I hated it.
So I decided to do soccer until I was about 11. I had a lot of injuries in between the years of 5 and 11, almost drowned, almost got pushed into a fire, and finally broke my arm.
The last summer before I decided to do dance again was my last year of soccer, it was the worst, I got kicked in the face, almost broke my toe, got a ball to the face (I got a bloody nose from that). So that's when I finally decided to do dance, mostly to prevent myself from getting injured.
So my mom signed me up at a local dance studio Linda Jamieson School Of Dance (LJSD). So before my last soccer game we went to the studio to get evaluated. She told me that I would be good for grade 2 ballet. I started in less than two weeks, I got my ballet shoes, and my leotard.
When I got to class on the first day I was nervous because I didn't know anyone, but then I later found out that I was at least a year older than all of the other girls. At first it was weird being in the same class as younger girls, but then soon became friends with some of them.
After about 1 term of that I decided that ballet was not for me so I decided to switch over to rec jazz. I did jazz for a little less than 3 years, then got offered to change to switch to semi competitive lyrical dance. I have been doing lyrical for about 2 years now and I still love it! My competitions are usually on a Sunday because of the fact that I am in senior rec. lyrical class. We compete with full on competitive girls, but the competitions that we go to, they give out bronze, silver, high silver, gold, and ultimate gold. Everyone gets one of those awards depending on the way they dance.
But enough about dance, it's time to tell you about my little brother, my brother is one of the people in my life who encourages me the most, he can be a pest, but I love him anyway. When we were younger we would play together. He would always pull my hair as a baby, I guess thats normal for a baby, but it was still annoying. I can't believe how fast he has grown up. He is now in grade six and playing competitive hockey, enjoying life to it's fullest. I mean as much as you can for a 12 year old boy.
So I decided to do soccer until I was about 11. I had a lot of injuries in between the years of 5 and 11, almost drowned, almost got pushed into a fire, and finally broke my arm.
The last summer before I decided to do dance again was my last year of soccer, it was the worst, I got kicked in the face, almost broke my toe, got a ball to the face (I got a bloody nose from that). So that's when I finally decided to do dance, mostly to prevent myself from getting injured.
So my mom signed me up at a local dance studio Linda Jamieson School Of Dance (LJSD). So before my last soccer game we went to the studio to get evaluated. She told me that I would be good for grade 2 ballet. I started in less than two weeks, I got my ballet shoes, and my leotard.
When I got to class on the first day I was nervous because I didn't know anyone, but then I later found out that I was at least a year older than all of the other girls. At first it was weird being in the same class as younger girls, but then soon became friends with some of them.
After about 1 term of that I decided that ballet was not for me so I decided to switch over to rec jazz. I did jazz for a little less than 3 years, then got offered to change to switch to semi competitive lyrical dance. I have been doing lyrical for about 2 years now and I still love it! My competitions are usually on a Sunday because of the fact that I am in senior rec. lyrical class. We compete with full on competitive girls, but the competitions that we go to, they give out bronze, silver, high silver, gold, and ultimate gold. Everyone gets one of those awards depending on the way they dance.
But enough about dance, it's time to tell you about my little brother, my brother is one of the people in my life who encourages me the most, he can be a pest, but I love him anyway. When we were younger we would play together. He would always pull my hair as a baby, I guess thats normal for a baby, but it was still annoying. I can't believe how fast he has grown up. He is now in grade six and playing competitive hockey, enjoying life to it's fullest. I mean as much as you can for a 12 year old boy.
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This is him in 2015 This is him in 2009
My inspiration of Dance
One person that I aspire to be like in the world of dance is Maddie Ziegler. She comes from the famous TV show, Dance Moms. She has stared in multiple TV shows and now is on track to staring in a movie. Maddie was in the music video for chandelier, by the famous singer Sia. She has done almost every type of dance imaginable, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Acro and many more. She is very flexible and can do many tricks.
Maddie Ziegler works for what she wants, when she wants to be able to do something new she keeps trying and practicing just so she can eventually do it. She does not just sit around and wait for it to happen. A lot of the other girls and their moms on the show, try to do the same things as Maddie, for example acting, singing, DANCING, but the only problem with that is that they don't want to have to work hard to get what they want, they just want it handed to them.
Maddie Ziegler works for what she wants, when she wants to be able to do something new she keeps trying and practicing just so she can eventually do it. She does not just sit around and wait for it to happen. A lot of the other girls and their moms on the show, try to do the same things as Maddie, for example acting, singing, DANCING, but the only problem with that is that they don't want to have to work hard to get what they want, they just want it handed to them.
Maddie Ziegler is also a good person, she seems really nice and when she is at competitions she isn't rude or mean. She does get stressed, like everyone else, but she wants to keep calm and collected.
When she dances, it's very fluent, she keeps the moves flowing into one another and doesn't make them look rough. It's almost as if she is speaking to us in a language that none of us knew that we could speak.
One of the things that I am going to try to be able to do that she can do, is to be able to do the splits. I know it sounds silly but it would be nice, because after all I am in competition. It would also be nice if I could do pirouettes, not a lot but maybe 3-5. To me its just the little things that make a great dancer.
Dance is my life
Dance has a huge impact on my life because it's a creative outlet for me and my emotions. When i'm sad I create pieces that allow people to feel how i'm feeling, when i'm mad I express that in a powerful and emotional way, I do this when i'm feeling any powerful emotion that blocks my head from thinking correctly.
By being able to do these kind of things I keep myself in check. Instead of punching holes through walls, I do split jumps. Instead of doing horrible things to myself, I spin and spin 'till I can't do anything else. I'm lucky that I am able to do these kinds of things, because some people can't, and so they do things to get into trouble.
Even when i'm in the car, I dance to happy music. I know that people are probably watching me, but I don't care. I don't care because it's what I love to do and it's what makes me, me!
When my head is all jumbled up from too much homework, or just something that had happened that day, that wasn't too good, I use dance to help make things straight again.
I'm going to tell you about what it's like being inside my head. What happens when I get frustrated: I feels like my brain is just like a bunch of twists and turns like a maze that never ends. When I do dance, or listen to music that makes me want to dance, it's like someone took that maze and made it into a straight path.
By being able to do these kind of things I keep myself in check. Instead of punching holes through walls, I do split jumps. Instead of doing horrible things to myself, I spin and spin 'till I can't do anything else. I'm lucky that I am able to do these kinds of things, because some people can't, and so they do things to get into trouble.
Even when i'm in the car, I dance to happy music. I know that people are probably watching me, but I don't care. I don't care because it's what I love to do and it's what makes me, me!
When my head is all jumbled up from too much homework, or just something that had happened that day, that wasn't too good, I use dance to help make things straight again.
I'm going to tell you about what it's like being inside my head. What happens when I get frustrated: I feels like my brain is just like a bunch of twists and turns like a maze that never ends. When I do dance, or listen to music that makes me want to dance, it's like someone took that maze and made it into a straight path.
My experience as a dancer
Because I only started dance a few years ago, I don't have much in the way of experience. But from the experience that I do have, I can tell you that when you have persistence, you can do almost anything in dance. I also know that even though i'm not the greatest dancer, I care about it a lot, and try my best to do as much as I can.
When you are dancing you have to be confident, strong, and powerful. Even if you can't do 15 pirouettes or the splits, you can do so many other things as long as you work at it. I have been pressured in dance, not just by my teachers but by other students too.
It's hard sometimes to do dance because you are so afraid of messing up that you don't take risks. But even though you might fall you get right back up and laugh it off, because you now know what to do differently the next time you try it.
Thomas Edison had many great quotes that relate to dance, here are a few examples:
'I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work'
'Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time'
'Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up'
Thomas Edison was a great role model not just for inventors but for anyone that wants to do something with their lives.
When you are dancing you have to be confident, strong, and powerful. Even if you can't do 15 pirouettes or the splits, you can do so many other things as long as you work at it. I have been pressured in dance, not just by my teachers but by other students too.
It's hard sometimes to do dance because you are so afraid of messing up that you don't take risks. But even though you might fall you get right back up and laugh it off, because you now know what to do differently the next time you try it.
Thomas Edison had many great quotes that relate to dance, here are a few examples:
'I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work'
'Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time'
'Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up'
Thomas Edison was a great role model not just for inventors but for anyone that wants to do something with their lives.
Struggles that we all deal with
Don't say that you never struggled in dance, because we all know that is a lie. When you first start off dance you can't do 15 pirouettes in a row. You start off with practicing one turn, practicing the splits, and working on posture. When you are in dance, you are always under pressure to be the best, but they have to realize that you only just started. If you can't do the splits, then it's almost as if you aren't allowed to dance, because you can't do what everyone else can do.
Struggles that dancers deal with is keeping up with school work, it's hard sometimes to balance school and dance. You want to get good grades in school but also want to get awards in dance. It also seems like you have to be skinny to be a dancer. But that is not true what so ever, and by making them feel that way is only going to make them do worse, yes I agree that you have to be healthy, but don't make us think that we have to be skinny in order to dance.
When I dance I want to be able to feel free and like I can do almost anything. It's a horrible feeling when someone says that you are not good enough, and that you should not be there.
Many people think that being a dancer is an amazing life, but it is not always that way. It can be horrible and amazing at the same time. The most rewarding part of dance is the sound of applause when you finish a dance, and you know that you did your best.
Struggles that dancers deal with is keeping up with school work, it's hard sometimes to balance school and dance. You want to get good grades in school but also want to get awards in dance. It also seems like you have to be skinny to be a dancer. But that is not true what so ever, and by making them feel that way is only going to make them do worse, yes I agree that you have to be healthy, but don't make us think that we have to be skinny in order to dance.
When I dance I want to be able to feel free and like I can do almost anything. It's a horrible feeling when someone says that you are not good enough, and that you should not be there.
Many people think that being a dancer is an amazing life, but it is not always that way. It can be horrible and amazing at the same time. The most rewarding part of dance is the sound of applause when you finish a dance, and you know that you did your best.
My passion is for the world
The way I share my passion with others is rather quite small, the whole world may not know who I am, or what I love to do, but I can share it with those who I love the most. First of all, let's get things straight, I dance because I love to, not because other people want me to.
When I dance, it's either in my room, on stage, at school, or in dance class. So at those times, I obviously don't show everyone, just those who are in my classes or who are my good friends.
I dance in competitions to show people that I can (kind of) dance. I dance in my room so I can let loose and have fun. I dance in dance class so I can practice for competition. I dance in the hall ways, but that's just goofing around with close friends.
I do try to get all of my friends to try dance, wether it's in an actual class or just playing around. Most of them who don't dance have said that even though they do not do dance outside of school, that they love doing it for fun and letting loose. (especially during exam week).
So there is not much that I can say about how I share my passion with the world, cause I don't really share it that often. But when I do, it feels amazing.
When I dance, it's either in my room, on stage, at school, or in dance class. So at those times, I obviously don't show everyone, just those who are in my classes or who are my good friends.
I dance in competitions to show people that I can (kind of) dance. I dance in my room so I can let loose and have fun. I dance in dance class so I can practice for competition. I dance in the hall ways, but that's just goofing around with close friends.
I do try to get all of my friends to try dance, wether it's in an actual class or just playing around. Most of them who don't dance have said that even though they do not do dance outside of school, that they love doing it for fun and letting loose. (especially during exam week).
So there is not much that I can say about how I share my passion with the world, cause I don't really share it that often. But when I do, it feels amazing.
My RST dance
My RST dance was a contemporary, jazz piece. When Ana and I were creating it, we were trying to think of a back story as well. So when we chose the song 'Fix you' by cold play, it just kind of came naturally for us to be creating that kind of dance.
Mind you that is one of the most difficult dances to compose and dance. Composing is hard because you really have to get into the music and feel what the artist was feeling. Don't get me wrong, dancing it is just as hard and you really have to make your move fluent and graceful.
Mind you that is one of the most difficult dances to compose and dance. Composing is hard because you really have to get into the music and feel what the artist was feeling. Don't get me wrong, dancing it is just as hard and you really have to make your move fluent and graceful.