Just Dance.

Why did you decide to take Jazz Dance, and what have you learned thus far?

            I decided to take Jazz Dance because of my undying, passionate love for dance. I danced all throughout high school, but regrettably never made time in my busy college schedule to take a class. Free styling in my room and dancing with friends was not enough to fill the void I felt in my life without dance. So I decided to take Jazz Dance to give myself a guaranteed three hours a week of pure energy and expression. Every since I was a little girl, I was always enrolled in some kind of dance class, whether jazz, hip-hop, or cheerleading. From the first class I attended, I knew that I would never be able to control my desire to dance and to express myself through moving my body. The performance aspect and entertaining others with weeks of my hard work, is one of the most rewarding parts of dance. I feel like I am getting into character as soon as the music starts and my muscle memory is triggered. It is as if the whole world stops while that music plays: I don’t have a care in the world, and I let the beat of the melody take control. It is one of the only times that I allow myself to lay down control and wholeheartedly trust my body’s intuition. I took this class to relive everything I have always loved about dance: the performance, endorphin-powered energy, new friendships, and motivating challenges.

            So far, one of the most important things I have learned is that everyone learns choreography at his or her own pace. While I may get down on myself because I take longer to internalize and master new material, others can watch once and mimic seamlessly. As a perfectionist, I am learning that it is okay to not always be the best or master something new right away. I am discovering that if I don’t allow my spirits to be doused during the learning process, the “aha” moment of success is even more rewarding. I am also discovering how positively my body reacts when I push it to the limit and give every dance move my all. Each time I leave class, I feel more alive than I did when I walked in.  Additionally, I am learning to get more comfortable socializing with people and performing for strangers. While intimidating at first, it is important to remember that everyone in the class has something they can learn from someone else. We are all at different levels and each have our own skills, but for the one and a half hours that we are in class, it doesn’t matter. We walk into the class with all of our different interests and intentions, but on the dance floor we all meet in the middle with our love for dance and perfect imperfections.