Student Blog: Dance Days of Summer

Growing up, I claimed to be a "self-taught" dancer, which really just meant I loved dancing, but never found my way into formal training. When it comes to auditions or workshops that involve learning choreography quickly in a group, I suddenly get two left feet and look like I've never stepped foot in a studio before. Now though, at the ripe age of a college senior, I've decided it is the time to change this. 

Though it's been a while since I've even had an in person audition thanks to the new virtual world that came during Covid-19, I got the sudden urge this summer to take up dance and to finally switch out that "self-taught" for "actually taught." Granted, there are tons of performers out there who are self-taught and are magnificient at their craft, so I don't mean to make it sound that formal training is the only pathway. For me, though, it was time to strap on the slipper, tie up the taps and make my way into a studio.

After looking for a few weeks, I finally landed on a studio near me that offers adult ballet, tap, and modern classes. I was most excited at the chance to finally learn how to tap dance, but was also thrilled to get back to ballet as I spent many nights in my living room attempting to magically become a ballerina. I'd be lying though if I didn't say I was also slightly terrified.

I decided to start easier than jumping into a style I had never done and go to mixed level ballet first. I took about 3 months of ballet in 5th grade, so it was still in there somewhere, right? As it turns out, 3 months isn't worth much 11 years later. Despite my confusion and major imposter syndrome, I found myself glisade-ing across the floor by the end of it and I was hooked. The following days I jumped into tap and more ballet. I quickly found that simply being in musical theatre DOESN'T automatically make you a pro-tapper. I persevered, though, and ended the class with a tragically sounding yet slightly successful shuffle-ball-change.

Fast-forward 3 weeks. I now find myself in the studio 4 nights a week, rotating through ballet, tap, modern, and technique classes. I live right by the ocean and yet have been to a dance studio way more times than I've been to the beach this summer, which was wildly unexpected. 

So, what's the moral of the story here? Well, obviously the "try something new, you might love it!" cliché comes into play. For me, though, the bigger lesson has been that you aren't going to be automatically good at everything and that shouldn't be grounds for giving up. When I first walked into that studio, almost every ounce of me wanted to bolt in the opposite direction. When I walked out, though, I wanted to run back inside and keep dancing. Not because it was the most fun I'd ever had or I discovered I was some secret ballet prodigy, but because it was a positive challenge. For the first time in a long time, I was able to fail, take corrections, and try again without there being a grade associated with it or some long-term consequence. 

When in college, or any type of schooling for that matter, it can feel like everything has a grade associated with it. In some programs, you lose points for what you wear to class or if you have to leave early simply to go to the doctor or eat a meal. This has been different, though. Entering a space where there were no grades and everyone truly wanted to be there created a space for me to slip out of my first position a thousand times and very awkwardly tap across the floor. To some it may seem like a waste of time as I am about to graduate and go into a career that does not require me to know how to do wings, but so far it has taught me a valuable lesson about learning, trying, and growing.

So if you're like me and you've been wanting to step into a studio for years, I encourage you to take the leap (quite literally) and go for it. You may learn a lot more about yourself than just how to do a tendu.

photo by Tommy Kwak via Unsplash