Dancing My Way Through Life - Miss Emma

There are many times of change throughout life, particularly in moving through different stages of school as a child or adolescent. With this comes the addition of hormones, stress and the realisation that one has to work.

As a 12 year old, I looked forward, though I was also super nervous about, when I would be able to meet new friends, start doing teenage things and become more independent from my parents in high school. With all good things comes a price to pay, and this was the added workload and stress of high school life. Believing that I needed more time to do homework, spend time with friends, and try new things, I gave up the activities that had kept me grounded in primary school, including dance.

This was one of the worst decisions I’ve made. I now had no way to let out the stress that was increasing with each highschool class, and now had nothing to keep me fit and healthy among the homework and study in the evenings. I began to lose contact with my dance friends and there was nothing to look forward to in the evenings when I arrived home.

What I had thought would be good for me turned out to be the worst thing I had ever done.

The next year, I knew I had to change something. Previously I had thought that I could simply get back into dance if I wanted to. But this was harder than I had thought. My body couldn’t perform simple moves, I couldn’t remember choreography well, and had no flexibility or strength, two essential requirements in the world of dance. It took me a while to get back to the level I was at, but it was worth it. I regretted giving up dance and it’s creative outlet but I had now learned my lesson. I struggled with my studies because I had no ‘off button’ and was constantly thinking about my school work. I found myself restless at night but also so tired of my school stresses.

Now as a 16 year old, I am glad that I still dance and have something to keep me grounded. I am now almost at the end of my highschool journey, and despite the added stress of VCE and major exams, I know I will not change anything about my life right now. Dance, or any type of exercise, is so good for you. It helps me give my mind a rest from my studies and challenges me in different ways. I retain more school and dance information because I am active and feel healthy and ready to tackle my next few years of highschool. I won’t choose anything over dance, because when I dance I forget everything except the step in front of me. I will not drop a class of dance, I will not miss one class to study for an exam, and I will continue doing what I love week after week, year after year. The expression is just beautiful.

We’ve all had different experiences, had different regrets and wanted to change something about our own lives. But there’s one thing we all have common, and that’s dance. It brings us together, brings meaning to life and helps us through life.

So, for all those entering a new period of change in their life, stay calm, just dance, and most importantly, do what you love, and love what you do.

Miss Emma