Picture this:
A little brown-haired Italian girl.
Pink leotard and pink tights, hair in a neat little bun, pink dance bag in hand.
This was me as I bounced happily into a dance studio to attend my first ballet class ever.
That was 15 16 years ago.
To be honest, I don’t even know what sparked my interest in dance. I wish I could say I had an inspirational story about how I saw “Swan Lake” and immediately fell in love with ballet, but I don’t. My mom wasn’t a dancer either, so it’s not like I was “following suit”. All I remember was that I loved jumping around and I loved music, so why not combine the two and see what happens right?
Fast forward to now, and things still haven’t changed. You can still find me jumping around at random times, because I’m still a kid at heart, and my love for music has grown even more. I’ve been playing the flute since 4th grade and recently picked up the piccolo 2 years ago. I decided to pursue my love for dance as a college major, and that’s where I am now on my dance journey. I also started a minor in Public Health because, as you can see, I am very passionate about health, wellness, and want to help people who are struggling with their body images. I figure that with my knowledge of dance and the human body, these two fields go hand-in-hand.
Don’t get me wrong though, some days I don’t like dance. Some days I want to sit down and take my feet off my ankles because they just aren’t cooperating anymore. Some days I get so tired that I don’t want to talk to anyone. BUT, there’s a reason I drag myself out of bed every day and keep coming back…
I don’t know I’d do without it.
(OH THE DRAMA).The movement, the expression, the performances…there’s nothing that gives you the satisfaction that dance does, and to me there’s nothing else as addicting either. (Except for gum, but that’s a separate story). To dance you have to be athletic, but to be a dancer you have to be artistic. There’s nothing else I could replace it with.
“Dance, dance otherwise we are lost”. – Pina Bausch
Bill H Photography
The lovely lady behind me choreographed the piece these were taken from!
Credit: Bill H Photography
Credit: Bill H Photography
Photos by: Gabriel Foo