I’ve always dreamt of flying. I think everyone has at one point or another in their life time. But as we all know, flying is humanly impossible. That is why I have chosen to dance. Ever since the age of two, I’ve always been so amused by ballerinas and their beauty. When I first saw a ballerina do pirouettes en pointe it was such an incredible sight that it right away pulled me into the world of ballet and dance. I was mesmerized by the beauty of art and dance. From that very moment I knew I was meant to be a dancer. I was born to dance and I wanted to dance. I wanted to dance because dancing was like flying.

When I’m at dance class or whenever I’m dancing, I feel like I’m at peace with the world and everyone in it. All the stress and pressured that is piled up in my life is just freely released as I dance. I believe it is the most magical and astounding feeling I will ever experience. Many people say that dancing is a delicate balance between beauty and pain and this is very true. Dance is painful, but it is also beautiful. People stereotype dance as little girls prancing around in pink tutus and twirling about. Which, when you are little, that is the case. But once you hit the age of 10 and you become serious and passionate about dance that is when everything changes. That is when the blood, sweat, and tears kick in. What most people don’t realize is dance is a true sport. Although ballerinas and dancers don’t make it look like it’s that hard to go out on stage and perform a number, show, or piece, it is. That’s what us dancers do, we make things look easy but in reality we spend a total of days practicing and practicing until we feel like we’re going to throw up. I have had blisters and bruises, toenails that have fallen off, and so many sore muscles in the past 12 years of my dancing career. Dancers have to go through pain if they’re really willing to be true dancers. But in the end it pays off. Just like when a baby bird is born, it has to flutter it’s wings a few times before it can fly. As in dance, we have to practice before we can take off and fly into a performance.

About four years ago, it was my first time of having to perform an extremely difficult piece on stage in front of hundreds of people. And this was the first time I got to really embrace the importance and the significant meaning of being given the gift of dance. It was in the Nutcracker when I performed The Waltz of the Snowflakes which was one of my roles I was cast in that year. I can remember standing in the wings a few minutes before having to go out on stage and being so nervous that I’d mess up and embarrass myself in front of hundreds of people. I had butterflies in my stomach and my heart must’ve been racing 100 miles per hour. But as the music started, and I ran out on stage, I had completely forgotten about the nervous butterflies and my pounding heart. I felt as if I were a snowflake aviating through the air. And as I exited the stage at the end of the song, I will never forget how happy I was. I was so happy that I had performed a seven minute and thirty eight second long scene from the Nutcracker flawlessly. It was the most magical feeling I had ever felt. I was glowing with excitement and so eager to get back out on stage and take flight again.

I believe that everyone should try to dance at least one in their life time. It doesn’t have to be strict technical ballet or anything. But I think people should move to music and express themselves other than in words. I have been lucky enough to be able to experience such an incredible experience that few people get to experience. And my hope is, that more people will want to experience the magical feeling of flying when all you’re doing is dancing just as I do. Dancing is a wonderful outlet and way to express your feelings and emotions. It is a stress reliever and a fun way to burn calories. But most importantly, it’s something fun. And to me, it is something I love. Dancing is absolutely like flying. In every way except when I’m dancing, I don’t have wings. But this is because I let my heart lift me off the ground and carry me to another world. The flight of dance is the best flight I will ever have.