Ever since I was two and a half years old, ballet has played a huge role in my life. Many people know me as “the dancer,” but I don’t think they realize how important ballet is to me.

When people think of sports, they think of football, soccer, or basketball. However, what most people don’t understand is that dance is just as much a sport as others. When they think of ballet, all they picture are girls twirling around in sparkly tutus, but that’s not all we’re about.

Dance, just like any other activity, requires a great portion of each dancer’s time, especially for me since I am in the Senior Company at my studio. Every member of the company is required to dance for about three hours per day, Monday through Friday, and while other teenagers sleep in on Saturdays, I choose to assist with two preschool ballet classes prior to my own class and rehearsal. On average, I am dancing from 9:00 in the morning to about 3:00 or later in the afternoon every Saturday.

Ballet dancers have to keep on their toes, literally and figuratively. Over the years, I have had to push myself to become the dancer I am today, and had to aquire flexibility, stamina and discipline. Overall, every dedicated dancer’s goal should be to become the best they can be.

Just like sports teams have coaches,

dancers work with choreographers and directors. These teachers can be very blunt and sometimes their corrections come across harsh. Many times I have been brought to tears because I have become so overwhelmed, but being a dancer teaches people to handle criticism and take direction well.

Sometimes dance can pull someone in all different directions. Many times I have had to go from one rehearsal to the next with very little downtime, yet I’m still required to put on a pleasant face and dance as if nothing was wrong. Also, I have to balance the other aspects of my life. Homework, grades, and friends sometime seem to take the back burner to my obligations to ballet. There have been many times where I had to pass up being with friends because I had to go to ballet class. It gets hard sometimes, but my love for dance makes it worth it.

I’m not saying that the other sports aren’t difficult, but I just don’t think ballet gets enough credit. I’d like to see those people do 32 fouettés on pointe and tell me that dance isn’t a sport.