Student Blog: I'm Starting Dance, and I'm 20 Years Old

When was the last time you cried in a dance class, and how old were you?

Mine was today, and I’m 20 years old.

Starting fresh is a weird thing. Growth isn’t linear, it's a hard upward climb, and it's dually hard when you’re starting something ‘late’. I won’t make excuses for myself, I could’ve taken dance years ago, but I was a busy kid in high school, and barely had enough time to do my homework and attend rehearsals, let alone devote hours to perfecting technique that I’d only minimally encountered. So now this leaves me as a junior in college, trying to hack it so that I can have a career post-grad.

This class was like the others, a barre warm up, across the floor, the gorgeous long-legged dancers shedding articles of clothing as the class progressed. It’s difficult not to feel out of place in environments like this. I know I won’t be the best in the class, oftentimes I’m the worst, but I’ve taught myself to quite literally ‘trust the process’. No one was perfect at something the first time they tried, especially not something like dance that takes years to grasp, never mind perfect.

I just have to keep going.

To mend my out of place feeling I have a bit of a ritual, and for those in the same boat who are reading this, I invite you to try my method. In moments like these, when my confidence is at an all time low, I think about the things for which I do consider myself good. Singing and acting have always been my strong suits, so when I’m with these incredibly talented dancers, I think about the fact that if they were to take an acting class with me, the roles would be reversed. I understand acting technique because I’ve been honing my skills since I was six years old, just like they’ve been in ballet since infancy. Of course, there are those who are impeccable at all three, and to those, I salute you, and harbor a bit of jealousy. But, again, it took years of work to get there, just as it will take years of work for me. One class won’t change anything, ten classes won’t change anything, but if I give myself a year of hardcore commitment, taking myself back to the absolute basics, I think I will find the success for which I am looking. In fact, I’ve already started to see great progress in the six months I’ve committed myself. So, consider this the cementation of that goal, and the article that will keep me accountable.

If you’re just starting something new, whether it be dance, or anything at all, give it time! No one has ever reached greatness by giving up.