When I first transferred to UCF last semester, I had no anticipation of falling in love with dance again. I have been dancing since I can remember, but I thought I had to give it up in order to find a “real” career. It hurt like a break up. In fact, before last semester, I hadn’t danced seriously in 3 years. At orientation, I went out on a whim and decided to enroll in Intro to Theatre Dance. I figured it’d be a fun elective and an easy A. We went through fundamentals of ballet, jazz and tap; by the time ballet was over, I realized how much my body missed dancing.
Over winter break, I decided that I wanted to get back together with dance. Instead of finding a 1980’s boom box and somehow blasting Drake from it, I made a decision to audition for the dance minor this semester. In early January, I went out on another whim and auditioned for Rukus Entertainment here at UCF. I just wanted to go out and have fun. The next morning, I was told that I did make the team and I actually cried. At this point in my life, I realize exactly what I want to do and how much of my plan includes dance again. Getting back together with dance is honestly one of the best feelings in the world, and it feels so good to be surrounded by people who completely understand my passion.
Dance is about more than just rhythm. The music is important, but is not the only important part. Dance is nothing without the dancers; in turn, dancers are nothing without passion and hard work. A lot of people hate having sore muscles, but for me, it’s a reward for all the hard work that I did the day before. At the end of practice, if my feet hurt from pointing too hard, or my calves feel like they’re on fire, I feel good about myself. A lot of people don’t actually understand it, and that’s okay. I’ve fallen back in love with dance, and just like any relationship, you can’t quite explain it to everybody.