The VFMS Spark | Page 32

In fourth grade, I performed in the talent show. Yes, I know it sounds very insignificant and to any other person it would not be important. However, this was the first time anyone in my grade had seen me dance. I was very self-conscious and felt the whole world was watching me. This was not the case, this was a fourth grade talent show in front of fifty parents and some one hundred students. I practiced for hours straight, and in my eyes, I was amazing. This was not the case, but all that mattered was my own opinion of myself.

After my first performance, my self confidence grew. My worst nightmare, people making fun of me, did not come true. Later, I was known for only being the dancer. I was known for not being dimwitted, but everyone knew me as the girl who danced. Recently, this was one of the reasons why I quit, only being known as a ballet dancer.

A year later, my friend, Margaret, and I enrolled for a summer intensive in Narberth Pennsylvania. Another one of my classmates, Lily, joined us on our adventure. At my summer intensive, I danced for about twenty hours a week, about the same that I danced at the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. I went for about three weeks, and it was a great experience. Before I left, one of my teachers took me aside and said, "If you tried, you could be good at anything. It was a pleasure to teach you." Ever since then, I have always remembered those words. She was this old Russian dancer with grey silky hair, huge black glasses, and a tired expression. She escaped Russia to find a better life, and to this day, I will remember Tatyana Kudrjavcev.

That December, I was Clara in my ballet school's performance of The Nutcracker. If I watched myself perform, I would instantly turn away. I do not like to watch myself dance, especially if I am younger in the video. However, I was so excited to be the "star" in my ballet school's Nutcracker. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I would have rehearsal. In the end, my time was well-spent, and I felt like I was flying.

In the summer, I went to my first real summer intensive in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I stayed with Margaret at the Dickinson campus and I danced for around five hours a day, but those five weeks were some of the best I have had so far. I was in D3, and Margaret was in C5. To be in a D level you had to be one of the best dancers in the program, and I was far from that. However, I was challenged and had an outstanding summer.

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