Parents, as we approach our end-of-year show, I wanted to share my perspective as a dancer who started with ballet at 4 years old and ended my high school career competing and attending conventions, with no plans to stop performing after high school. Showcase has always been my favorite performance, and I promise you it is so much more than just two minutes on stage in a cute costume.

I performed in my first dance show when I was 4 years old, and I remember it as if it happened yesterday. Well, maybe not all the fine details, but I vividly recall the feeling of being on stage as a pre-schooler. My part was to leap across the stage during the snow scene of "The Nutcracker," and in my mind, the audience was there to see only me.

Fast forward through the years, and I participated in 13 more end-of-year dance shows. Each year, I learned from new teachers, explored different styles, and dedicated numerous hours to the studio. By the time I reached my senior year of high school, the dance studio had become my second home (I'll delve deeper into the many gifts my dance studio gave me later; that's a whole other post).

And just as vividly as I remember my first show, I also remember my last...

Walking into the dressing room of my Senior Showcase, I felt like an absolute star, much like the way I felt as a baby snowflake at 4 years old. I absolutely adored performing, and being on stage was my ultimate joy. I can't recall the specifics of my senior show—the number of pirouettes I executed, whether I performed my solo, or the numbers I was cast in.

However, what I DO remember...

How loved I felt being presented with flowers from younger students
How special I felt when my studio owner gave my senior speech, I think I cried the whole time, it meant so much to me.
How blessed I felt to have a group of school friends attend my senior show (they didn't dance but attended every one of my shows beginning in middle school).

But above all...

I remember feeling important.

I remember feeling like a leader.

I remember feeling confident and prepared to take on the world because of the skills I had learned inside the dance studio.

I thought that was my last recital ever, but luckily for me, I get to relive these moments with our dancers every June. So, as you sit in the audience and watch your dancer this June, I hope you'll see what I see...

I see students expressing themselves through dance in ways they could never do with words.
I see students feeling seen and special as their entire family cheers them on and greets them with flowers after the show.
I see students building their confidence by learning to manage nerves and jitters.
I see students feeling proud of themselves as they run off stage, grinning ear to ear, and high-fiving their friends.
I see students making friends with different ages backstage and developing relationships and bonds with their dance teachers outside of the classroom.

My hope as a studio owner is to be able to give a speech at the senior showcase of every one of our students. Whether you take one class a week just for fun or are part of our competition team with sights set on dancing past high school, I know that what is being taught in the studio is

SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST GREAT DANCING.

And to help you visualize….. here is a picture of me in the dressing room of my Senior Showcase. New dress, purple eye shadow, hair curled (just to be put in a bun) and hoop earrings in.

17 years old and ready to take on the world with confidence thanks to the skills I learned in the dance studio.

More Than Just a Dance Show....

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