Hi Local Guides!
Today I wanted to celebrate with you a very special day to me, today is International Dance Day (April 29th)!
So, I wanted to tell you about my dance path.
My love and passion for dance started since I was a kid, my mom has lots of photos and videos of me dancing whenever she put music on, but I think this is kind of normal with most of the kids. Then, when I was in elementary school I remember I really wanted to take dance classes but my parents were not as interested as me, so I will make dance presentations with my cousins and of course I would be the one planning the choreography and choosing the music. Then, after some years of insistence, I convinced my mom to take my to classes I started jazz dance for about half a year when I was 9 or 10 years old, but the next year she didn’t take me again. That didn’t stop me and I continued dancing in my room or in the shower or wherever I could.
Three years later, when I started High School, I really wanted to start dancing for real, I was now 12 years old which is considered kind of old to dance but I didn’t care and I finally started taking ballet and jazz classes. I was really happy doing this, I was learning a lot and it was difficult, most of the girls my age at the dance school had many years dancing and had experience but I enjoyed it anyways. During the next years I also did some contemporary dance and tried out Hip Hop but I wasn’t very good at it haha. Four years later, I remember when my ballet teacher told me I could start using pointe shoes, which is a big milestone for dancers!
The next year, I had my first injury less than a month before the annual dance presentation and couldn’t dance, which was really sad and frustrating for me but that wasn’t make me stop dancing. It wasn’t a big injury but my mom used it as an excuse to tell my to stop dancing, also it was my last year in High School and she thought it wasn’t a good idea to continue dancing while I was in university.
Guess what? My first year in university went by and of course I was still dancing! The next year, I had another injury, this one was a little bit more serious this time I thought it was the end of my dance life and I quit dancing for about a year and a half. Also, my injury never healed properly because I had kind of bad luck with the doctors and physiotherapist.
But then, the next year (my third year in university), I got a message from the director at the dance school telling me this was the 10th anniversary of the school and they wanted ex-students to dance at the presentation and of course I said YES! And wow, that time without dancing and coming back to an emotional dance about how we loved dancing made me realized how much I had missed doing it.
So, I came back to dancing, just jazz for 3 years, trying to balance my studies with doing something I love. The, two years ago, I got to dance my first solo and in that year I grew so much as a dancer, of course now I was more mature and conscious of my body and it was a experience I will never forget.
Last year I returned to ballet classes as well and tried something new called Antigravity and I was dancing a lot and enjoying it but then I started doubting because it was my last year taking classes at university and I wasn’t sure if I would continue after that.
And here I’m today, still dancing, taking online classes and enjoying every moment I can.
So, to finish my post I wanted to tell you some of the things I’ve learned for the past 11 years:
- Dancing gives me a way to express myself and kind of forget about everything happening around me while I dance.
- Dancing teached me how to organize my time to continue with all my school responsabilities and be able to do what I love.
- I learned how to appreciate every moment, specially during the dance presentations because it is a unique feeling full of excitement and nervousness and happiness I cannot describe.
- If you really want to do something, don’t give up, there will always be a time when you can do it.
- And most important, you’re never to old to start doing something, if you have the passion to do it, that is all you need.
Hope you enjoyed my journey!
Is someone here a dancer or have you danced before? Would you like to dance someday or start doing something you’re afraid is too late to start? Do you practice any sport or hobby that teached you some if the things I’ve learned through dance?
I would love to read your comments!
