Endings

When I was six years old my parents decided to sign me up for ballet. My first dance was called princess for a day. I had a pink romantic ballet tutu and I bossed people around on stage. I remember that first show in the old arts centre. Walking up the stairs, waiting backstage and watching all the big girls dance with stars in my eyes. That's going to be me one day, I thought to myself. Fast forward 13 years and here I am, 18 years old, in my white classical tutu on my pointe shoes dancing on stage with the little girls watching me with stars in their eyes. Where did the time go?

I don't remember a time where dance wasn't in my life. Some of my happiest memories are from dance. And some of my saddest. I remember being told I wasn't good enough at my favourite style of dance, tap, and being kicked out of the class before even getting a chance to prove myself. I remember not really fitting in for a while when I was at a different studio. But I also remember not letting any of that stop me from doing what I love. And that was dance. 

I remember all the chaos of backstage at a competition or a show. The rush of being on stage with some of my closest friends. And the moment of pride when you get a high score. I remember when our the leg of our table prop broke on stage and we had to abandon it on the side of the stage. It was almost comical how the tea pot just rolled to the centre of the stage. One of my favourite memories is coming off stage from dancing my duo with my brother and seeing my teachers face and knowing that we left it all on the floor. 

I remember the sweat, blood and tears from the six plus hours of rehearsal a week. And I have the bad bones to prove it. I remember when my friend kicked my toe with her toenail in class and my foot would not stop bleeding. 

But you know what? It was all worth it. Because dance made me who I am today. It made me confident. It made me proud. It made me a performer. It made me happy. And I'm sad to see this part of my life story come to a close but I will always be a dancer. As Walt Disney says, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. And these past 13 years will leave me smiling for the rest of my life.