So I Thought I Could Dance

I spent most of my life growing up dancing. My mom put in me in dance classes when I was about five, and I pretty much did it up through high school. I started to dance competitively after only two years, when generally the rule was you had to wait three. (This may be part of the reason I am such a competitive person in general now...ha.) I loved it. It was seriously all I did, and it was completely worth it. Once my sister was old enough, she started too, and competed shortly thereafter.

We would travel every spring to all sorts of competitions, and we generally did pretty well. My last year, we actually swept nationals with one of our routines. The trophy was taller than I was...haha. (Okay, I realize I am short, but it was a tall trophy!) The end to my dance career was pretty sad, but I think that is a story for another day.

The point of this is I still love and respect dance and dancers. This is part of the reason why I am completely obsessed with the show "So You Think You Can Dance." I love to watch these dancers put their souls on stage, and I have a chance to live a little vicariously through them. Dance is truly a way of life. I love that this show brings dance to a world that may not appreciate it otherwise. Okay, it may be a little sad it has to be through a reality-type show, but it is still pretty awesome.

I love the expression of dance. In all forms, it is an extension of that person and a show of the human form. It is a body in its most raw element out there for the world to take in and digest. Done well, it can move you in ways you would never expect. The body in motion is so beautiful. Like any form of the arts, dance can bring us back to the most rudimentary element of being. Because of that, it is also something that breaks across cultural barriers.

As a dancer, it can express things that you could never express otherwise. Your body feels pulled by forces greater than you. You can just let go and be part of something outside of yourself. It can be exposure of yourself to a world in a way that is so unique. For me, I am a natural introvert (shocking, I know), but dance gave me a chance to show myself in a way that surpassed that.

If you have never watched the show, I would recommend it, even more so once the actual competition starts.