After two hours of practice, I am finally done with dance. The piece I am doing is about 25 minutes. 25 minutes of dancing straight. No break. Ughh, how did I get here? But I know there will be harder ones in the future as I get into the higher levels. A dancer since 4, I have now been dancing for 10 years.  That is if I did the math right. My friends and I get to the main hall, sit on the couch and talk about how we have to do homework as soon as we get home.  I’m already exhausted. “But, the grind never stops”. 

When I was a kid I used to always do my homework and get A’s. Never once did I not do my homework. I was always the “obedient, principled, and shy” student because I was too scared to raise my voice to speak up.But all that changed once I got to 8th grade-- I had more work, dance got harder and more friends to talk to.Basically, I used to partially complete my homework.My innocent personality went down the drain. And now, I’m a freshman. Everyday, I receive tons of homework, I take quizzes, participate in clubs-- and on top of all that, I have dance to deal with. We all can agree with the fact that life is never right if it isn’t without some sort of drama.And with all that stuff going on in my life, I went from being Rebel Wilson to Ariana Grande.
   
Dance isn’t horrible though, It's kind of like the first “sport” that I got introduced to. I have an eager passion and love for it. I joined all the dance teams in school. I was obsessed with it as a kid; it was like love at first sight. I used to watch the Barbie movies with all the songs and dance.--basically every single movie. Growing up, I wanted to pursue a career as a professional dancer.I was excited to grow up. But Once I did, it wasn’t fun. No one told me that it was going to be one of the worst nightmares. So, my dream of being a dancer was crushed by my parent’s dream of me being a doctor. And with that, I moved to Mason.

But I couldn’t give up dancing. It was a big part of me, becoming a professional dancer wasn't as important to me but giving up dancing would be like losing the most prized possession. So what if I can’t be a professional dancer.After all, I’m still a dancer. Dance is the only way I can leave reality and step into my dream.

I was 7 when the school was organizing an annual day program. Our class was supposed  to be dancing on the stage. I was excited but also nervous at the same time. I put on my costume and got ready. “It’s time,” one of the teachers yelled. Time to go dance. I get on the stage and think about all the steps. As the curtains move out, I hear the applause. I try to find my parents in the audience but I can’t; there are way too many people. My mind was blank. But the best part was that I was in the back, so I can look at the kids in front of me and copy what they are doing. That is exactly what I do while swinging my arms everywhere and stomping my leg, apparently, that’s a step. We end the dance with the same pose we started. That’s how I was dancing when I was 7. And now, I’m always in the front and my friends are copying me now!
    

Everything changed when I was 12. I was dancing when my leg just gives out. I fall down, everyone around me was concerned, primarily my teacher. I take a look at my leg and wiggle it out to see what was wrong, but I don’t see anything. It looks normal. I stand up and shake it off. My leg still hurts a lot, but I tell my peers everything is fine. They tell me to go sit down, but I don’t. I keep dancing. For the next 4-5 months I acted like everything was fine but to be honest, it wasn’t.

I was 13 when the doctor said I have knee osteoarthritis--when the kneecap starts to weaken.The first thought that ran through my brain faster than Usain Bolt was, ‘how am I going to dance?'. “Well, you can’t” was what my mother said, a million arguments later. “But why? I can still walk and somewhat run, I don’t see why I can’t dance”I would retort back, begging and pleading to continue my passion. At the end of the day we both knew I was still going to dance, and yet we still argued.

Passionate about it since a young age, I am ever ready to dance and get those moves going. My injury hasn’t stopped me from doing what I love. During my free time, I am always delighted to get on the floor, practice my moves and then perform it in front of my peers. The end, when I receive applauds and compliments are when I know what I am doing is really what I enjoy, am proud of and it will always remain an important part of my life.