i started dance when i was 5. i loved it. i took jazz, ballet, and tap, and i was ALWAYS dancing. at the studio, in my sleep, or just walking around i would be dancing or doing a routine or even choreographing my own routine in my head. people had expectation of me doing something great with dance at a pretty young age. i never walked out of a competition empty handed(and i’m not just talking about buying new dance gear at the competitions). seriously, there was a rush i always got on stage that i couldn’t get anywhere else. in the studio the girls that basically grew up there(me included…we spent more time there then we did awake at home) went by this motto…dance what you feel to the extent of which you feel it and you’ll never have to leave here in grief. it was true. why did i quit? i don’t just want to take classes again. i want to compete again. me and the girls at the studio always left home for the road at the same time, took all the same rest stops, and checked in at the hotel together then after a night of practice and partying we’d wake up early the next morning for breakfast together and check out the competition in the ballroom. i was stupid to leave something i had a natural talent for, especially since it came along with so much…a family of girls that i grew up with dancing…a confidence that couldn’t get shot down…and not to mention trophies that piled in every month from winning. ahhh i miss it so much!