Personal Narrative: Learning To Dance Marinera

My mother danced her whole life and had always dreamt of having her little girl do the same. She enrolled me in my first dance class at the age of three and I continued dancing until I was fifteen. During my childhood I saw dance as a laid back playtime with my friends for fun. At the age of six though, My dance teacher offered me a chance to dance at competitions, and although it added pressure to my young life, I ended up loving it. Competitive dance opened my eyes to a fascination I never knew I had. I continued to feed this passion with hours of practice every day for the following years.

Before I began formal training in classical dance I was performing vocalist and actor. As a performing artist, I had already gained a deep appreciation for dance, leading me to take a ballet class. When I first began, ballet was just an extension of my performing resume, something I did only to so I would be a more castable actor. Nevertheless, I soon after I began dancing it became my focus and I began the normal daily training schedule of Pre-Professional student. Throughout my career, it was the art of dance that inspired me. Although important, my technique was just a tool and my body was just the canvas.

I started dance at the age of 8, well officially that is. Long before then however I had begun to learn from my mom. We would spend our Sunday’s cleaning the house listening to latin music and she would teach me how to dance salsa. That was how I first discovered what it was to dance. I kept learning and having fun with her every week until a talent show at my school offered me an opportunity to showcase (what I thought at the time) was a vast amount of knowledge. So I told my mother about it, but she thought that our days spent learning salsa were just harmless fun with no big aims such as the one I had presented her with. So she said no. And

In the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several conventions such as Dancer Palooza in California, The Dance awards in Las Vegas, and many in Houston as well. I’ve learned from several famous choreographers like Misha Gabriel, Mia Michaels, and Travis Wall who’ve worked with various celebrities. I’ve also won scholarships to summer programs, had a near-undefeated season in solos, and even performed in Disney

Dance is one thing I can truly say I have given my all in and that I persevere at it more than anything else. Although I may not be able to perform a specific movement as well as the others, I have the understanding of our techniques and could simply explain them to

When I was 10 I began going to a church where they have a dance ministry and a band ministry I thought it was really cool and fun. I seen the girls danced in the alter with a tambourine I was a little girl I wanted to dance too with them so I told my mother I want to be in the dance ministry and my mother talked to the pastor's wife and she said I was able to start going to the practices with the girls on Friday's night . I learned all the steps and moves in 3 months and I began dancing in the alters I was super exited I loved it. I moved to Texas in September 2011 and we found a church over there they did not have a dance ministry there and they planned to have one, my mother talked to them about me being able to teach the girls how to dance

I was two years old and I already had the passion for dance. I felt mature, flawless, beautiful, and very cheerful. I used to dance along with a video called Bella Dancerella. I remember the day I got it. My Mom knew that I loved to dance so she thought it would be perfect for me. I remember saying to her, “Wow I can be a real dancer”! It came with a tiny, plastic barre and dance mats with images of swans from the ballet Swan Lake. I would stand on the mats and my Mom would put in the DVD and I would follow along with Bella. I placed my feet on the tiny footprints that taught me all of the positions. I always had to have a big audience and I made any family member or friend watch me dance. “Sit on the couch and watch me dance”, I would say. I would also dance without my ballet toy. I would play music and make my Mom record me leaping across the family room.

I love dancing, I have such a deep passion for this activity. Although there was a time that I was not sure of my passion and love. I have danced since I was able to walk and my parents put me into classes when I was eight. I was ecstatic and overjoyed everyday I could go to the dance studio. However, in eighth grade my dance studio did not do too well at the competitions we attended. At nationals we didn't place top ten for any of the dances we preformed, I felt so defeated and unsure of my love for the sport anymore. Since we did so bad that year my mother refused to re enroll me in classes the following season.  I gave up on my dream of becoming a dancer and started to doubt my talent all together. That year one of my best friends introduced

It took a few weeks of twirls, and hip movements before I was provided with my very first dance piece: Koi Ladki Hai. Though this song didn’t have my idols in it, I practiced the dance religiously. In the studio as well as at home, I

Dancing, in the simplest terms, can be defined as rhythmical movement to music. For me, however, it has held a far greater significance in my life that goes beyond any physical means. For as long as I can remember, dance has served as my escape — a way to momentarily proceed from reality, and become in touch with my mind, body, and soul. It is a freedom of expression; an art

My dancing was awkward and clumsy at best. I was shy and embarrassed to dance with anyone –even my own instructor. This self-consciousness blinded me from recognizing how much I enjoyed being on the dance floor, feeling the rhythms and steps to the music. Every mis-step or spin warranted an inward criticism. I spent a number of Friday nights at Ceviche watching all the couples, conflicted between wanting to go home and hoping that one day, I would be one of the lithe dancers confidently gliding across the floor in the rhythm of the music. I was afraid to admit how much I really wanted to dance. The years following, I did not show my face in that place often, due to a sense of

When I was 9 years old, I learned to dance. I taught my muscles how to sway in unison, how to recover after hours of practice, and how to twirl at a pace that I still cannot understand to this day.

First off, the most memorable dance concert experience I had was having a little solo in the piece For Those Who Have Made Me Stronger. It was cool enough that my group’s choreography picked to be in this piece, but being picked to have a solo part was surprising. I thought that we would all do the same choreography,so I had nothing to worry about. All of a sudden, the choreography was changed to me having a small solo part. This made me worry a bit because I wasn’t used to being in the front and having people’s attention on me, but it made me work hard to not freeze up on stage. After performing both days, I actually did a good job. I wasn’t nervous or I didn’t have a brain fart like I used to before. I was very proud of myself.

We were to perform at iNite, an event so ridiculously popular that all five thousand tickets for it would sell out in less than fifteen minutes online. Out of the thirty diverse cultural acts performing, my act was the greatest in both size and expectations. I had mistakenly told myself, “This should be easy. I’ve danced for over ten years now. How hard can it be to string some moves together and teach it to everyone?”

In the backyard of our small one story house I never played with any balls or bats, I’d be dancing in the grass putting on shows for my dog Shadow. My mom knew that she had a little dancer on her hands, after doing some research I ended up at a small dance studio in Shenandoah called Valley Dance Company. I was excited because I would have friends outside of my preschool, have fun car rides with mom, and the best part, putting on pretty costumes, weird shoes, and makeup. I didn’t think too much about the different types of dancing, just that one kind of dance we had black shoes that made fun noises and in another we got to wear a tutu and jump around.