Dancing Through Life

Today, I'm so excited to be writing about one of the best decisions I've ever made. Up until my senior year of high school, I was a Varsity cheerleader, and I never thought I would have any other title. At the end of my junior year, I decided that I wanted to get back into dancing since I had been a dancer when I was younger. First announcing that I was only trying out for football season came as a shock to many of my friends on the cheer team, and after the season ended, it was really hard to say goodbye to that part of me; however, while that girl disappeared, I was able to open an old door that had been closed for many years. I used to dream about becoming a dancer one day and the spark inside of me reignited.

I tried out for my school's dance team a few weeks after making the cheer team (for football season only!) Two of my very best friends and I were all thrilled to say that we made the team. One of these friends, Sarah, I knew from musical the previous year, and the other, Greg, had been my friend for the last few years. I can't exactly remember what song we danced to for the tryout or what style it was (oops!) but I do remember that I couldn't remember it both times we had to perform it for the audition, so I ended up messing it up both times. Luckily for me, the judges were able to see past those couple mishaps.

Greg and Sarah, my partners in crime

Once the season started, we began with a dance style that required a prop that was very familiar to me: POM POMS! That's right, I traded my cheerleading pom poms for dance ones, but that was okay with me. It was a nice transition between the two. We danced to the song "Bang Bang" and ordered costumes that were identical to the shells I used to wear for my cheer uniform. I think we did this dance only a couple times in the high school gym at basketball games and at some showcases, and then we started our next routine.

One of our first performances to "Bang Bang"

When we were sitting in a circle picking the song for our hip hop dance, I remember looking at Greg every time one of the other girls suggested a song and making a face like "yikes!" Mostly everyone agreed on a song called "Sicko Mode." Of course, being the behind-the-time girl that I am, I had no idea what this song was nor had I ever heard the name of it. I remember hearing it for the first time and wondering what all of the hype was about this song, and I had my doubts about how our captains, Reagan and Erica, could choreograph a song like this... but they did... and it was INCREDIBLE. Since then, my feelings have not changed about the song, but that dance was easily the coolest choreography I've ever done, although very challenging.

After our first time performing "Sicko Mode"

Our last routine was my absolute favorite. We got to learn and perform a lyrical routine to the song "Open Hands." This was an AMAZING experience. I learned so many new turns and leaps and got to have one on one help that I'd never gotten when previously dancing at my old studio. I always thought that hip hop was my favorite style of dance until doing an actual lyrical dance. I loved every moment of performing that piece. When we practiced, we were normally expected to have facial expressions that matched the song's tone. Needless to say, I got VERY into that. It was just so much fun and I couldn't wait to do that dance everyday at practice. To top it all off, that dance landed us a spot in the state competition.

Some of our team performing "Open Hands"

The state competition was in Dublin, Ohio. We all rode a bus together and sang songs the whole way there. When we got there, we rushed to our rooms to change from our comfy traveling clothes to our fancy outfits for a nice dinner at Max and Erma's. Afterwards, we swam in the pool (only for about 10 minutes though) and talked until we realized we had a competition early the next morning. I shared a room with my best friend Sarah, and two other girls, Reagan and Samantha.

Dinner at Max and Erma's.

The next day was the competition and everyone was so excited. We only qualified for our lyrical routine so we got to order new costumes and new shoes which was so fun. We performed our routine, and it seemed like the quickest thing to ever flash before my eyes: One second we're on stage, the next we're walking off. We got 14th place, but before all of you sports parents start pitying us, I'm wishing you could have been there to see it. 13 ecstatic, squealing teenagers were over the moon excited. From watching my brother play sports his whole life and seeing how most people react to even second place, I'd never seen so many people so excited for #14. That was the most incredible thing about the whole experience. 13 people came together and attempted to perfect a dance in the hardest category and beat last year's placement, and that was truly something to celebrate.

One proud group of dancers

Joining the dance team this year has easily been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Everyone on the team was so incredibly accepting of the cheerleader turned dancer, and that is something I will always be thankful for. This is the kindest, most passionate group of people I've ever known and I can't wait to see what great things they accomplish in the years to come. I am so proud and honored to be able to call myself a member of the dance team and have loved every moment of it since making the team.