Never in my life did I think I would ever be a dance girl. I didn’t dance as a child, so why would I start now? My childhood consisted of hockey and softball; dance wasn’t something I ever even considered. But this all changed when one of my best friends started teaching a beginner hip hop class. She asked me to take her class, so of course I signed up. I remember being so nervous and worried that I’d embarrass myself, but she was so supportive and reminded me that it was just for fun. Honestly, that completely changed my view on dance class. Her class quickly became my favourite part of the week. Making the decision to take her class two years ago has essentially changed my life. Since then, I’ve continued to take more and more dance classes each semester. This semester I’m taking my most classes yet: intermediate jazz, ballet, burlesque and, of course, beginner hip hop (which will forever have my heart).
Through dance, I feel as though I’ve learned a lot about myself and gained a lot of experiences that I otherwise wouldn’t have. The one that shocks me the most is just how many friends I’ve made. I’ve always been very introverted, so making new friends has been hard for me. But with dance, making friends is almost easy. I mean I’m already pushing myself out of my comfort zone by just being there, so why not just push myself a little bit further and make friends while I’m at it? Everyone’s there for the same reasons: to learn something and to have fun. It’s easy to start up a conversation when we already have something in common. I’ve met so many nice people and I can’t wait to keep meeting more.
I always played sports growing up that had practices and games multiple days a week, so I was used to being active. But that ended when I came to university and no longer had sports to hold me accountable for staying active. Joining dance classes has changed that for me as I now have a super fun way to stay active that gets me out of the house four days a week. Not only does dance allow me to stay active, but it also provides so much stress relief. I’m able to leave all my school stress behind and instead just focus on learning the dance, which has been majorly helpful for me when exam season rolls around.
Learning the choreography of a new dance is hard for me, but when I practice it enough and I finally get it, the confidence boost that I feel is insane. This increased confidence is probably the best thing that I have gotten out of dance, as it has translated to every aspect of my life. I remember feeling so anxious before my first showcase. I was so nervous that I was going to mess up or that everything was going to go wrong, but it was just the opposite. I felt amazing afterwards. Before the most recent showcase, I wasn’t even anxious at all; in fact, I was just excited to perform, which is so crazy for me to say. The difference between my first showcase and the most recent one is huge. I just feel so proud seeing myself accomplish things that I’ve never been able to do before.
My past self would never believe where I am now and how far I’ve come with dance. In all honesty, she would probably be appalled. But I’m so happy that I started dancing. Above all else, it has brought me so much joy and I wouldn’t change it for the world. A big thing that I have learned from this experience is to force myself to get out of my comfort zone more often and try new things because I just might end up loving it!