How Ballet Changed My Life

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I pressed my ear up against my bedroom door to make sure no one was downstairs. Once I knew the coast was clear, I delicately placed the gel covers on my toes and then slipped on the expensive, satin shoes. The ribbons were not stitched on yet, so I could not properly wear them. I stared in awe at these magical slippers. I had been dreaming of my first pair of pointe shoes for my whole life, and they were finally right in front of me. At this moment in time, I had no idea of the pain and sacrifice that these shoes would bring. In fact, I would grow to loathe those ballet shoes. My whole life revolved around ballet until I started becoming uninterested with its rigid quality. I switched course towards the ever-changing contemporary dance, but …show more content…
Even though I trained in jazz, hip-hop, acrobatics, and lyrical, ballet was my main focus. I dedicated countless hours in the studio and spent summer vacations at intensives in New York, California, and Pennsylvania. My yearly schedule resulted in countless hours of ballet. Of course, having these opportunities was incredible, but after awhile it became monotonous. In August of 2014, a former member of the Royal Ballet School revamped the ballet program at my studio. He also introduced our studio to the Royal Academy of Dance, or RAD, ballet exams. Students leaped for joy at the chance to take the exceptional RAD exams, but I was the only one who chose not to participate. People frequently questioned the reasoning behind my decision. I answered that I simply did not have time, but it was actually because I felt that I needed to distance myself from ballet. By creating a space between me and ballet, I transitioned my focus to contemporary dance. I was intrigued by this form of dance because of its freedom with movement. It’s also less demanding in terms of proper technique and placement. At this point, I knew my dream of becoming a ballerina was withering away. It was a strange feeling saying farewell to my original