Ask anyone and they will tell you that their mom made them participate in some type of sport or extracurricular activity when they were younger. When I was younger those sports were gymnastics and ballet. Sometimes people take those sports and run with them and sometimes they decide that those sports are just not for them. In the case of Melanie, a freshman nursing major, that sport was dance. Unlike many others, she took dance and ran with it, turning it into a passion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I sat Melanie down and asked her to think back to her experiences as a dancer: how dancing made her feel, what drew her to dance, what made her sparkle. Immediately his eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. I told her I had a few quick questions about her dancing career and her memory jogged back. “I started dancing when I was about four,” she told me. This is often when mothers begin to involve their children in sports or the arts. In fact, that's exactly what he told me. “I personally got into it because my mom thought it was a good way for me to exercise from a young age and teach me discipline, teamwork and boost my self-esteem from a very young age.” A lot of these things start out that way, but some people learn to love it. Some people dive right in. Melanie continued, “Later I personally learned to enjoy myself because I could make friends easily through teamwork, and the satisfaction I felt after memorizing the choreography for dancing increased my self-esteem.” Once she got to know the other children and became more confident in her abilities, she danced with them, so to speak. Now that the door was open he learned to really enjoy it. She also started going to recitals and dance performances in her free time to appreciate their beauty. As she became more familiar with dance and its various types, she became more and more interested in trying them herself. During her years as a dancer, she incorporated different genres into her dance routine. This included everything from classical ballet to modern hip-hop. “I did everything,” she said when asked about the different categories, “I did tap, jazz, ballet, point, hip-hop and contemporary.” In each genre he learned something new from their energies. Each type of music and dance told its own stories. Everyone had a feeling about it. Of course, through these different classes she was able to make more friends and feel more involved in the environment. As his confidence and experience levels grew, so did his opportunities. Throughout her dancing career, Melanie has taken part in several dance productions. This includes everything from informal, low-key recitals to full mass productions. Each production had its own experience. He learned from each production. When asked which productions she had been a part of over the years, she went back down memory lane to remember each one. “I have taken part in ten annual recitals and Christmas productions as well as screenings at the county fair in Maryland. I even went on to perform at the Orange Bowl my freshman year of high school.” Through hard work, dedication and years of practice, Melanie has made it big. She started out doing small recitals with her peers throughout her childhood and eventually rose high enough in the ranks to land a widely recognized performance. Not only was it impressive that she was able to perform at allat the Orange Bowl, but was able to perform at a relatively young age. “Most of the people I performed with were kids and high school students. I was one of the youngest people performing out there.” We have all watched various football games and know how selective they are when choosing which schools and dance teams to perform. “Not only was my dance team selected, but several high schools from around the country were also performing with us,” she said. Melanie has practiced her whole life, but once she got to her senior year of high school she had to make a choice. When they go to college, many kids are unable to continue pursuing their passions such as dance and art. When he decided to attend the University of Alabama, he chose to abandon dance and focus on schoolwork. Being a nursing major doesn't leave you with much free time. In fact, Melanie said she aspires to be a trauma surgeon, which means her love for dance had to fall by the wayside both. But he still loves the art of dance and thinks about it often. “I don't dance anymore. However, I attend several dance shows at university and at home when I have the chance sister". Even though she is unable to experience dance on her own, she is able to experience it through someone else. Her dancing days are over, at least for now, but she still yearns for it. When asked if she still wants to go back to dancing she responded with an immediate “Yes because it has always been a fun way to train. It allowed me to make friends with people I wouldn't normally meet in the community and showcase a passion of mine.” Through her experience as a dancer, she was able to learn much more than just dance steps. She was able to master confidence, charisma and courage. These traits carried over to other areas of his life. All you have to do is talk to her and you'll notice that these are qualities she was not only born with, but also acquired from hanging out in such a fun and supportive environment for much of her life. Please note: this is just an example. Get a card customization now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay There are many forms of expression. There are many ways to tell a story. Art has crossed and progressed throughout the history of mankind, but dance has stood out as something unusual. With just one dance you can tell a hundred stories. Everything is in the eye of the beholder. Dance leaves the story free from interpretation. That's part of what makes it so great. When Melanie took dance and incorporated it into her life, she learned a few things about depth and beauty. Sometimes the best stories are the ones without words. Sometimes the things we do, like dancing, can change our lives. Maybe that's why our mothers push us towards these activities. Works Cited Kiefer, A. W., & Riley, M. A. (2019). The influence of dance experience on dynamic balance across the lifespan. Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 7(2), 155-167. doi: 10.1123/jmld.2017-0051Quiroga Murcia, C., Kreutz, G., Clift, S., & Bongard, S. (2010). Shall we dance? An exploration of the perceived benefits of dance on well-being. Arts and Health, 2(2), 149-163. doi: 10.1080/17533010903488529Pinniger, R., Brown, C., Thorsteinsson, E., & McKinley, P. (2012). Argentine tango dance versus mindfulness meditation and waitlist control: a randomized trial for the treatment of depression. Complementary therapies in medicine, 20(6), 377-384. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2012.05.003 Duberg, A., Hagberg, L., Sunvisson, H., & Moller, M.: 10.2105