I remember being about 3yrs old when my parents first enrolled me in dance classes. I remember hopping about the classroom, however more than this I remember crying – My mom was a stay-at-home mommy at the time, and I had some serious separation anxiety every time we were apart.. So, needless to say, those classes didn’t last long!

I remember as a child, I was always dancing and spinning around. A love for dance doesn’t necessarily require a class to flourish – As with most of the arts, it’s a passion born from within; A fire. Technique can be taught and honed within the classroom, however the rest is a natural gravitation; a pull.

When I was a bit older, I spent a year taking dance again – This time, there was no separation anxiety as I was around 11yrs old and gaining my independence. I also had my sister as well as my childhood best friend joining me. However, this was a time when I was being raised by a single mother supporting three children so I imagine that keeping us all in classes was tough. Again, my foray into the dance world ended.

Fortunately, the schools in my hometown always incorporated different types of dance within the phys-ed curriculum so I still had an outlet outside of dancing around in my basement.

Of course school dances followed as I got older, and eventually clubs and other parties when I came of age. However that’s a whole other form of dancing all together – I craved something different. Something with discipline – Something that required technique and lesson to hone my natural love for dance.

A couple of years ago, I thought to myself, that dance lessons surely must not be solely for children, and after a quick web search – Alas, they weren’t! I discovered that there were even absolute beginner ballet classes for adults – My heart melted. I yearned for this. What little girl who loved to dance didn’t dream of being a ballerina?

My health wasn’t stable enough to enroll at the time so I placed the goal on the back-burner; never too far from thought. A few weeks ago, I took stock of how I am currently feeling and decided that now is the time, and I signed up! I begin classes THIS FRIDAY!

When I went to purchase my ballet shoes last week, my heart felt so full. The minute I placed them on my feet, the feeling was hard to describe – It felt so comfortable; so right. The studio I will be attending is City Dance Corps, and just walking into the building, I already felt that I could easily make it my second home.

As a person who struggles with anxiety (more on this in a future post), these moments, and these places in life are the very things you strive to find. Things that bring true peace to both your soul and your surroundings.

I am so very excited and blessed for this opportunity that lies ahead. I am excited to learn. To find strength and grace. To breathe.

I will keep you all posted on the classes as I attend, and will follow-up with a review of the studio at the end (I’ve heard nothing but great things so far).

Until then, don’t dance like no one is watching – Dance like everyone is watching, and you can’t wait to show off what you got. Your rhythm is a beautiful one – Never be afraid for the world to see it’s beauty.

xo

D