What Being A Dancer Has Taught Me About Life

I began dancing at the age of three because my parents were tired of me falling over and walking into things. I had no grace, poise, or basic motor skills, really. So I was dressed in a purple velour leotard with a rhinestone encrusted heart on the front and sent into my first ballet class with a bunch of clumsy, yet adorable toddlers. I don't think anyone could have guessed how much dance would effect  my life from that first class on. Being a dancer does not just mean "one who dances" it comes with an attitude and a special understanding of life. Here are just a few things being a dancer has taught and continues to teach me.

• Trust wholeheartedly. By dancing I have had to put my body's well-being in the hands of other dancers in order to execute a lift or trick. In the first moments of trying these new tricks, you have to put complete trust into your fellow dancers and yourself as well. It turns out in life, trusting yourself and being able to put faith in others will make your life 1000 times easier.

• Being goofy is necessary. Dance has helped me build incredible, supportive relationships with my peers. While we are inherently competitive with each other; there is also a lot of support and encouragement. With this comes a feeling of belonging and total comfort. In this environment I was able to let my goofiness go whenever I wanted. This built a lot of self-esteem, and now I feel more comfortable just being myself even around new people.

• If you act like you know what you're doing, no one will question you. This is something I live by, and I swear dancing installed this into my character. I can directly trace this back to being completely lost in choreography at a dance convention. I blanked on all the moves after a certain point in a jazz class, but kept freestyling with the attitude needed for the choreo. The teacher knew I messed up, but loved my passion, so she let me do it again by myself with the whole room watching, and I nailed it (choreo & attitude). From then on, I know I'm better off having confidence in myself because great things are likely to come.

• Commitment. You commit to your moves, and both you and your audience are moved. If you commit to something in your life (a job, a relationship, etc) great things will come. In life, I've found if you only give half your effort, nothing great can be accomplished.

• You will have to deal with difficult people. I had a little girl push me out of my spot in my first performance at three years old. Even then it was clear that I would have to deal with difficult people. Through dancing I learned how to talk to difficult people and figure out exactly what they needed from me without being rude. This skill became essential when I began working because oftentimes you will encounter a challenge in the form of a boss or a colleague. 

• Different is beautiful. Dance has taught me to feel comfortable standing out from the crowd. It is okay to not fit in perfectly, in fact, I tend to like having different opinions, styles, and ideas because dancing has given me the confidence to know that unconventional things are remarkable and should be shared.