Dance is something I’ve always been passionate about. I started my training in classical ballet at the age of three, where almost all we did was play duck-duck-goose and pretend to be butterflies. Of course I loved it at the beginning stages, because it was easy and it made me feel free, like I could be anything. When the real training started, I was about six years old. I found that although the steps were more difficult and the dancing part required more discipline, the way it made me feel was unchanging. When I got to high school, I joined the cheer team and managed to keep dance in my life, while I also strived to maintain good grades. Needless to say, I was sort of burned out and I had gotten so used to the routine of things that ballet had become sort of a task for me. I loved ballet, but in all the craziness of high school and prepping for college, I lost sight of all the reasons why I needed it in my life. When college approached, the decision of whether I would keep dancing regularly or not came about. 

            A lot of people dance their whole lives and then decide to slowly quit when college comes and real life starts to set in. I could choose to get a dance minor and pursue dance throughout college or I could simply not do that. Did I want to give up the one passion that had always defined me as a person? I truly didn’t know. I knew I could still dance occasionally on the side, but I also knew that that would mean I was half-investing myself in a passion, so there wouldn’t really be a point in doing that. If I was going to dance at all, I knew I needed consistency as well. I realized that if I didn’t keep dancing, I would lose something that I loved dearly. College just wasn’t the time to take that kind of chance, so I decided to pursue a dance minor at Texas A&M. 

            The experience of dancing in college has been one of the best decisions I’ve made thus far. Not only has my passion for dance grown, but my appreciation has greatly increased as well. Ballet has helped me to stay disciplined as well as active, which has been especially beneficial during all the stress of school. The biggest thing that I’ve learned throughout this experience is that passion isn’t lost just because it’s been weakened. Strength is something that I strive for and I want to keep pursuing dance throughout my life. Even if it’s not something that I do as frequently later in life, I know I will always find a way to keep doing it because it brings me joy. It has been a vital part of my college experience because it has kept me focused and motivated.