Sacrifices

"Working hard becomes a habit, a serious kind of fun. You get self satisfaction from pushing your self to the limit, knowing that all the effort is going to pay off." -Mary Lou Retton
      Every serious dancer has had times when dance doesn't seem like the most fun thing to do at the moment, or their friend calls and asks them to hang out and do something fun. The most common response from a dancer is probably "sorry i am busy" or "sorry I have dance". This can be really difficult through the teen years. Friendships can be weakened, grades can plummet, and stress can heighten. It is hard to balance all these things, dance, a social life, and school. But these things are what sets dancers apart.
     Every teacher wants to work with a passionate, dedicated dancer and sadly they aren't always easy to come around. Growing up as a dancer I have been lucky that school tends to come easy to me but what has been hard is balancing a social life and dance. However, dance pretty much is my social life. Most of my best friends I've meet from dance but not all of them share the same love for it as I do or go to the same studio. I also have best friends that don't dance which is also important. But with this I have realized that to be the dancer I want to be I must make sacrifices that means staying up till midnight most Wednesday nights even if I have a huge test the next day. It means getting my homework done on Fridays before I can hang out with friends, dancing all Sunday, and in competition season not hanging out with some of my friends for weeks on end. This can be hard and make you grow apart from friends but it is a decision you have to make if you want to reach your full potential.
       Now, I'm not saying drop all of your friends and never have fun all you can do is dance. You need to also make time for those things as well because there is a lot more to life than just dance; but you need to manage your time. I go to almost all of the football and basketball games I've gotten to go to every school dance and spend many weekends having fun with my friends. But I also have had to be willing to give up those things once in a while to improve or have extra rehearsals.
      In the end the hard work will pay off, you will reach your goals and your true friends will stick by your side and encourage you on your journey their. Their certainly is more to life than just dance but being a dancer certainly is a life style and one that is not for everyone.