Personal Narrative: My Dance Team

Since I was three years old, dance has been a passion of mine. Throughout elementary school, I tried many other activities, however, I never enjoyed anything as much as I enjoyed dance. In my fourteen years of dancing, I have learned to work with a team and to use constructive criticism in a positive way. Also, I have learned that hard work leads to performance.

My whole life changed on October 29 of 2012. Before this date, I was just practicing hard like any other dancer would. Two days a week and two hours a day, sweat, sore muscles, and all my work poured into my dancing. Dancing provides knowledge, emotion and dedication. Recognizing that I have built that from when I was young is a huge feeling of accomplishment, like the first time riding a bike without training wheels.

On the Saturday morning that the team was announced, I was wracked with fear. I was participating in a rehearsal for a dance competition with another team during the hours leading up to the time that the list was going to be posted. Trying to get through that rehearsal was nearly impossible as my attention was more focused on what color nail polish would best match my new Chiefettes shirt that I would be wearing to school on Monday. Once my mother and sister arrived to pick me up from the studio, I shook nervously in the back seat, sending messages to my other friends, waiting to find out the news. Both my mother and my sister remained silent, but I knew that they were praying just like I was that I would see my number on that list. As we

Our team sat in the hallway of our school, waiting for our name to be called to enter the gym. The pregame jitters were everywhere. Girls were bouncing up and down, fanning themselves and skittering around. I had a flood of emotions inside me. I was mostly excited but also quite nervous. What if my parents didn’t like the dance? What if my peers don’t like the dance? What if it looks bad? I couldn’t help but doubt the routine in a time of such nervousness. Our coach gave us each her routine good-luck shoulder shakes, and I knew the time had come. I heard the crowded gym fall quiet.

I’m a ballet dancer at Williston School of Dance. it’s my biggest passion in life. However when I first started I hated it so much! I’ve always been a quitter, I’ve tried so many different hobbies and quit all of them : piano, violin, Archery, guitar, sewing, flute, jewelry making and knitting, as you can see from my list I was a huge quitter, as soon as something got hard I would give up.

I was relieved to see that my group members seemed nice, since I was already the most terrified I had ever been in my whole life. My heart was pounding so fast and I could hardly stay standing. This is what you’ve been waiting for. You need to do this. This day, this moment, would change my whole high school experience. It was the day of the coed choreo dance team audition. A group of three people at a time would go in for their single chance to be accepted into the best team in the world.

The feeling of disappointment filled the room. Regionals of freshman year competitive cheer ended, our season, over. I have never stood in such an upsetting atmosphere. I stood there, expressionless. Nearly every teammate crying, absolutely crushed at the outcome of our performance. No state finals. That feeling that everyone spoke of from state finals, unreachable. That feeling of disappointment did not hit me, for I did not understand how much feeling goes into this sport through time. Never again will I let an absence of drive take this team down. Giving up, not an option, especially not right at the end.

Have you ever been in a situation where you literally think time flies? I most definitely have! My cheer team and I made it to nationals which is located in South Carolina. My cheer team and I made it very far as far as competing. We got third in regionals, first at state, and at nationals we got zero deductions but didn’t place. It was one of the best feeling i've ever had! Winning felt like nothing could ever go wrong! My heart was beating so fast each time and I had tears in my eyes, knowing we made it so far together was heart warming.

For example, on the five hour bumpy school bus ride to Grand Forks, the team had more fun than previous seasons; we sang songs, and we laughed at each other's attempts at putting on makeup while bouncing about. On the other hand, during other seasons' rides, we merely slept and privately listened to our own music. In addition, we performed the best performances at this season's state competition, especially on the first day; we performed two routines with no mistakes, personal bests for the team. Although we did perform so well, we did not make any finals, however we still had good attitudes because we were content with our performances. Contrastingly, in previous seasons, we still did not make any finals, but most of the girls cried after our performances and when we found this out. Thankfully none of that happened my last season, making that season the best. On top of those reasons, at this season's State Dance Competition, the team realized how much progress we really made over the nine long months of the season. We realized what great coaches we had, what great friends we became, and how hard we worked to improve. Most of all, we realized we did not need a trophy from finals to validate ourselves because we were happy with what we had. That last competition perfectly capped off my years of dance, and therefore

I walk up to the back door of a small log cabin that’s located in the middle of a large corn field. The first step inside brings an aroma of sweaty feet and hairspray and, for some reason, the smell plays back childhood memories in my head every time I walk along the tiny hallway that leads to the waiting room. As a little girl, I was thrilled to see all of my friends stretching in the waiting room and getting ready to dance. Mothers were chatty and siblings ran around like the room was a circus, making the space seem so small, but as you went through the thick door into the dance studio, the craziness of people disappeared and we were ready to focus and learn. Tall ceilings, two large metal pillars, and mirrors along the walls gave the illusion

As I was advancing into my junior year as well as my fourth year apart of Melodious Step Dance Team and second year as captain, we were informed we were receiving a new coach. Due to this, I knew this coming year would be filled with new adaptations and disputes.

Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. ~ Winston Churchill.

Well it was 2014, the beginning of June, I had just joined the competitive dance team at my studio that I had been at for 10 years. It was choreography camp, and I was super nervous. I was one of the youngest ones on the senior team and one of the oldest on the junior. I knew that if I wanted to be featured in the dance I was going to have to work especially hard at camp. So, that’s what I did, I worked my butt off and it payed off. I realized this, then it clicked in my mind that’s what I need to do with everything. If you work hard good stuff will come out of that. I was very proud of myself for working hard and seeing result. So, after camp I just continued to work this hard and so did the rest of my teammates.

Shortly after the studio had opened, I took my first class at Visceral Dance Center. It was a typical snowy day in Chiberia and I was in Nicks jazz class with one other person doing abs to "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John. Years past and I found myself returning to Visceral more often, involving myself more and more in the community and finally my senior year, when I had the opportunity to be a part of the Studio Company. This dark and windowless building people see from the outside is filled with open passageways for information and contagious passionate spirits to ricochet off the exposed brick walls, dark apparel and perspiring bodies and into our containers of knowledge continuously being refilled. This space and all that exists 'within' has been a part of my life for the past 8 years and without it i am not sure who I would be.

Ok this is something that is actually important this time….well at least I think it is. Here we go, so today is the dance, if you don’t already know. Terran came over around 7ish to pick me up. Our parents took pictures of us, and my dad even posted it on facebook….the problem is though is that my ex is following my dad. My friend saw it though; she saw me and screamed goals. Anyhow, we got to the dance 30 minutes too early. Apparently the message didn’t sent across the website right, and it was actually supposed to be from 8-11 not 7:30-11. Terran called his mom to tell her that the dance doesn’t start for another half hour. She came and picked us up to go to the gas station, because SOMEONE had forgotten their mints *cough* Terran *cough*.