College Admissions Essay: My Passion For A Dance

I stood up in front of a hundred curious, gleaming eyes. “Hey guys,” I began, “I’m going to show you why the trombone is the coolest brass instrument ever!” I immediately whipped the slide out and performed a series of sequential glissandos, each one with more vigor than the last. That morning, I was performing with my school’s jazz band at the KIPP Elementary Academy in Philadelphia. Over a decade passed since I had last stepped foot in a Philadelphia school, when I attended the James Dobson School in kindergarten, yet the cozy gymnasium and the children’s crisp uniforms instantly evoked memories of my childhood. But one thing I did not remember from the past was having the opportunity to experience jazz at a young age. Thus, I desperately wanted to display the awesome power of brass instruments that is the soul of jazz music and inspire the kids to partake in the timelessly euphoric journey of music that I am blessed to have taken.

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

Sometimes we learn something because it sparks our interest without knowing the journey we’re about to embark. It might be a short journey that can leave us wanting more or an extensive one in which it’s not something you just learn, but it becomes a passion. Without even knowing it, I started my journey learning how to play the violin out of curiosity and it ended up becoming something I am strongly passionate about.

“Why would someone join chorus? Only nerds and weird people are in choir.” Hearing comments like these when I was in middle school almost discouraged me from participating in the arts. I did not want to do anything that would make it more difficult to achieve popularity, for I was obsessed with trying to fit in with my peers. My chorus teacher knew how irrational it was for me to think that and convinced me to try out for chorus. I am forever grateful that she did, for joining chorus allowed me to express myself, connect with others, and create memorable experiences.

I'd like to think that I experienced my first dose of happiness at a very young age and it came to me in its most intricate form- music. Ever since then, I’ve found solace in nothing else.

I danced at Tina’s Dance Studio in Eldridge, Iowa for 12 consecutive years before I graduated high school. There I studied in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, lyrical, tap, jazz, hip-hop, musical theater, gymnastics and clogging. I was also a part of the competition team for eight years. We not only did local competitions and conventions, but we traveled and went to nationals in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. I also danced in shows in Disney World and on a Carnival Cruise Ship. In high school, I was on the varsity Dance Team winning three state titles in pom and lyrical eventually traveling to Nationals. A few summers ago, I trained with Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago with their summer intensive focusing on modern, contemporary and ballet. During my senior year of high school and this past summer I taught classes in jazz, tap and contemporary for students 8-16 years old. I also self-choreographed three competition solos. Here, at Ohio University, I am a member of the dance team doing dances at football and basketball games.

As a little girl, I would constantly walk on my toes. Because of this tendency, my parents enrolled me in a beginner ballet class at the age of three. I learned how to walk like a ballerina, the art of pointing my toes properly, and how to properly curtsy at the end of class. Throughout the months leading up to the recital, my classmate and I learned a piece to perform, and I practiced in class and at home for my parents and brother. On the day of the recital, I performed the dance perfectly in my green sparkly tutu and the smallest size ballet slippers. However, I was disgruntled with the other baby ballerinas for making mistakes on the stage.

I danced for 12 years at a professional ballet company. Five of those years, I trained under the instruction of a director named Elie. He yelled incessantly, was bad-tempered, and could make a room full of people cry faster than you would ever think possible. However, despite his shortcomings, Elie was a brilliant instructor.

Playing the violin is one of my best talents. First, I had to practice a numerous amount of minutes to make it to where I am. Second, it’s a great way to meet new people. Lastly, I couldn’t have done it without my Mom. Playing the violin is one of my skills, I worked hard, became more social, and got supported by my Mom.

And when my music started, I remembered why I’d wanted to do this so badly--nothing, not even a broken foot, could stop me from dancing. My brief time away from dance had made me appreciate the times when I could dance so much more, and I really had fun onstage that day; I didn’t even feel any pain (although I’m not sure whether that was due to adrenaline or the Advil I’d taken). When I finished and the theatre filled with applause, I felt powerful. My teacher later told me that it had been the best time she’d ever seen me

The dance community that surrounds me has been the most impactful in my life. My mother first signed me up for dance classes when I was only four years old, and now almost fifteen years later I am still dancing. I started out at a dance studio in Gresham, Oregon, where I then danced for ten years. I took classes, performed, and started competing against other dancers and studios around when I was nine years old. It didn’t hit me that I enjoyed performing until I started dancing in more and more shows. Dance was a struggle for many years at this specific studio. There was a lot of moves that I couldn’t do, and I got left behind, as the other dancers my age improved and became more flexible. I felt like I owed the teachers, staff, and other

A community is a group of people that share a common or similar characteristic with each other. Some communities can also consist of people living together or practice worship. My essay will include the communities that I am part of which are my dance, school and church communities.

People say, “those who seriously pursue a career in dance give up their childhood early,”

A series of set of movements to music, either alone or with a partner. That is the definition of dancing. Dancing is a way to express one's feeling and to get active.

I attended DancePlus show On Friday December 2, 2011 at 7:30pm at night. It was performed in the Victoria K. Mastrobounno Theater in New Brunswick, New Jersey. There were four different parts that I saw that day. All of the dances were very interesting and very different from each other. All of the dances had its own unique key factor that separated it from each other. I enjoyed the entire show very well. Out of all the dances I had strong reaction to “Lapa’s Lament”. I believe this specific dance stood out to me compared to the other dances from the show. This show had many different factors that stood out from other shows in the entire performance.