When I was only 4 or 5 years old, my mom brought me to my very first classical ballet class in Vancouver.  I remember being so excited walking down the halls, seeing all the older girls in their beautiful blue leotards, shiny pink pointe shoes and hair in perfectly styled buns!  The sheer elegance of their movement fascinated me. I had never seen anything so beautiful and didn’t want to go home.

As a child, the love to dance came deep from within me. Through my carefree childhood, I danced without thought and experienced how creativity occurs organically. There were no boundaries, nothing stopping me from experiencing my imagination through movement. There was no competition, only exhilaration of make believe and creating my story. To dance was life and it was just something I did. 

11 years later, I am a dancer. I dance to bring meaning, to bring beauty, to bring possibility, and to bring inspiration and hope into this world. I dance for clarity. I dance to acquire a sound mind and body.  I dance because it makes me complete, and when I am complete, I am a better person. 

The right path for me is following my passion. My passion continues to lead me towards a professional ballet career on stage. Although it is a lofty goal, with the right amount of determination mixed in with the best training, it is possible. It means perseverance and sacrifice.  It means working hard on my technique and artistry; trading in prom for pointe shoes, exchanging a traditional school for an online education, and giving up the security of home to move to close to better training. I know in my heart that it is an attainable goal. 

My goals don’t finish on the stage though. One day my body will become too broken and I will be forced to retire from the stage, but the passion for dance will never allow me to move on from the art form that chose me. Retiring from ballet will open the door to passing on my knowledge; helping the next generation find their success. My final dream will lead me home   to where it all began and to contribute meaning, beauty, possibility, inspiration, hope, and skill back to the world of dance. With this, I will one day come full circle, enabling me to dance the dance of my life, for a lifetime.