I remember a time in my life where dance WAS my life. I began taking dance classes at the age of 6 and kept on dancing until I was 15. I started off as a regular little girl who took dance lessons once a week and performed in the yearly recital. But by 5th grade dance had become so much more to me. I auditioned for a competitive group and made it. By the time I was in 6th grade, I had dance practice Monday through Friday, beginning immediately after school and ending well after dark, and production rehearsals on Saturdays from 8:00-2:00. I literally would wear my leotard under my clothes to school and go straight to the dance studio. We always had a 30-45 minute break at dance to eat or do homework, so we usually walked across the street to Subway or sat in the lobby and watched other dances. All of this madness was only during off seasons…during competition season, which spans from March to May, all of this time was spent at the studio, but Fridays after dance we would stay for costume fittings, before jumping in the car for competition weekends which lasted from Friday nights to Sunday nights. It was a lot of hard work and we trained hard, but it was so fun and exciting. I formed some of my deepest friendships at the studio, since we all had a common interest and spent so much time together. We laughed about things others wouldn’t find funny; the Dansco brand shoes someone bought by accident, the plum eye shadow someone had instead of violet, the fake eyelashes and the glue that stuck your eyelids together, the Vaseline on our teeth. We did crazy things for competitions….waking up at 5:00am to put in fake hair, makeup, Vaseline on our teeth, make sure you’re wearing the right tights, costume, and shoes. Is your hair in a low pony for this one or a high bun? Are you wearing your body tights, or the footless ones? Do you have an extra hair net, my 800 bobby pins ripped mine! Oh no, I left my red lipstick in my other dance bag! Mom, I have to pee but I’m wearing underwear, tights, spandex, and a unitard! Do I have time to eat a granola bar before we go on next? What dance is next? I know, I know, remember to smile. Kissy faces. Do I start stage left or stage right? Did you see how many judges were out there? The stage isn’t as wide as we thought, shorten all moves! My costume ripped, my tights have a run, and I’m tired. My hair piece doesn’t match my hair anymore! Why is HE in the dressing room? Where is my mom? Is the stage marked? Where the heck do I get a stick on bra that will fit me? Ew, the smell of the E6000 used for the rhinestones and maribou is killing me! Mom, we’re gonna run out of hairspray and destroy the ozone, can you stop it!? ALL of these things and more can be heard backstage at any given competition. It sounds stressful, and it is. But it’s what bonded us girls, and sometimes guys, together. There is no greater feeling then sitting on stage during awards and getting a platinum award while your teacher and parents cry with excitement and pride. There’s no greater feeling then going out to dinner with your group after a 15+ hour day and feel like you have all of the excitement and adrenaline in the world. There is no greater feeling then running through the hotel and finding all the other dancers, when really, you should have no energy left. And as much as I hated it at the time, there is no greater feeling then going to school on Monday and hearing what everyone else did during their weekends, and when they ask you and you try to explain all the hair, makeup, dancing, adrenaline, and awards, they roll their eyes. It’s a bond. It’s a release. And there is no greater feeling. I remember going to dance some days and being so stressed about school, homework, or family, but once my feet hit the smooth, grey floor, it all went away. Nothing mattered while I was dancing. And I miss that.
So, I know I’m about to win the award for longest post EVER. And if you are still reading, you deserve an award. But here are a few “you know you’re a dancer if” things:
-you dance down the hallway instead of just walking.
-a new leotard makes your whole day.
-your wardrobe is filled with T-shirts from dance competitions and performances (Dance Caravan)
-you have an entire drawer devoted to your dance stuff
-"I can't, I have dance." enough said.
-when you go to get your hair cut you tell them to cut it long enough to be able to put it in a bun.
-you know a combo to every song that comes on the radio.
-when outfits are no longer called outfits or uniforms, but costumes
-you are at the studio more than you’re home.
-you own hair gel. LOTS of hair gel. and you know the smell of Freeze-it.
-you can't listen to a song at a dance or party that you've danced to at a studio, without doing the choreography you were taught
-you can practically put on false eyelashes in your sleep
-you have spent Friday nights sewing sequins onto costumes
-getting changed in a tent outside with 20 other girls is completely normal
-when gold is not the top, but platinum
-you actually enjoy waking up at 5:30 to put on pounds of make-up and drive to Supply to be at the competition an hour before it starts
-when you are sick, you don’t stay home in bed. You go to dance and watch. And being able to just watch is worse then actually being sick.
-you start your homework at 9pm…after you get back from dance.
-you spend more time with your dance family then your real family.
-you have slept at the studio before.
So here’s a shout out to Dance Express and my DEPAS Divas, Ashley Kellogg, Emily Dodd, Kendra Branch, Samantha Severt, Kayla Holland, Elizabeth Whatley, Amy Schell, Kaitlyn Musser, Stephanie Thompson, Aricka Sidbury, Patrice Bowden, Ronita Hill, Kyla Trusdale, Lisa Gattis, Janine Johnson, Morgann Griffin, Lauren Smith, and all the fabulous mommas who spend countless hours at the studio with us. AND of course Mrs. Lynn, Mr. Bill, Ms. Amy, Ms. Lavonda, Ms. Tracy, Mrs. Danielle, and everyone else!
No comments:
Post a Comment