What it Takes to be a Dancer: A Personal Experience

What+it+Takes+to+be+a+Dancer%3A+A+Personal+Experience

Johnny Horton, Photo Editor

It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer,”said Shanna Lafleur.

This quote can be seen on the jackets of the shine bright dancers, and is what the dancers strive for.

The beauty, elegance and grace of a princess; the balance and power of a gymnast; the drive and determination of a football player. All of these traits are complex on their own, but when combined have the power to create something more: a dancer. Although those traits are key components of a dancer, that is just the tip of the iceberg. A dancer must dedicate their life, along with their mind and body, to the sport to reach perfection.

I went to the Shine Bright Dance Studio located at 942 Tiffany Road in Antioch, Ill. to participate in an “All In One” class with three different levels: beginner, intermediate and the class I took, advanced. The class consisted of about 20 girls, ages 13 to 18. The class began with stretching, then progressed into a combination of turns and leaps.

When we started to stretch, I regretfully realized that the class would not be as easy as I thought it was going to be. I learned quickly that, in order to attempt to dance, you have to be extremely flexible. As we progressed along through the stretching, I felt my body slowly ripping in half. At one point the girls started to do splits, and trying my hardest to attempt it, I found myself in the most uncomfortable position of my life. As I sat there with my legs spread apart, the instructor came over and pulled my leg out. At that point I realized that I had officially been ripped in half. I learned that the dancers have to power through pain, and sacrifice their bodies.

TomTom 299
Later on in the class we progressed into our “across the floor” portion. We started out with simpler technique, including chaine turns and battements. While the girls began to twirl and kick across the floor with grace, I began to fumble and bumble my way across the floor. The class then progressed to more advanced moves with variations of different leaps. As the girls jumped through the air with power and ease, I found my self doing exactly the same thing, but with a lot less coordination. It was very difficult to try and keep up with them, especially because the amount of experience it takes to preform the moves was beyond my ability. All of the dancers had the determination and drive to make each jump and turn look flawless. I had drive and determination to be able to actually walk out of the studio in one piece; I seemed to fail at that already.

TomTom 283

The last thing we did I thought was the most difficult. The class came center floor and did pirouettes and fouettés . We began with a single turn, and that was as far as I could go. The girls progressed to doubles, triples and even quads. It looked as easy as spinning around in circles like when you were a little kid. However, I learned each turn requires great balance and the ability to “spot” by whipping your head around to the front each time to prevent dizziness. I got dizzy.

Overall I learned that it takes dedication, soul and (some) pain and suffering to be a dancer, along with knowledge and great coordination. I left the class tired and sore, realizing that dancing is not as easy as they make it look. I have a completely new respect for what dancers can do, especially since I was able to see first hand that I cannot do much of what they can. Even with all of this pressure the dancers are able to keep cool and composed in order to shine bright. Me, not so much. At least I tried. TomTom 762