Dance Forever

Photo by Kerwin Kaiser Yu

My sister introduced me to the hashtag "dancing in your thirties". It got me thinking about my life.  To dance is bliss. Every opportunity to perform is indeed a blessing. For me it's a celebration of who I am. But dancing in your thirties also means a couple other things that  come with the obvious perks. To me it means, struggling with insecurities, managing expectations and dealing with physical restrictions. I've read so many encouraging articles about how to dance forever and I tend to agree with them all. But to follow their lead, it requires emotional strength. 

Today I came home from rehearsals for a musical I'm doing.  I felt a bit down  because I didn't nail my finale turns, I hurried home to my happy thought. My daughter did not disappoint. She said to me " Mom, I can't wait to see you dance on stage! You're going to be amazing." For a couple of seconds. I believed her. To hear words from a  little girl affirming you have a place on that stage feels good. I needed it right then and there. 

My  little girl is an aspiring ballerina. She loves everything about ballet from the classes to the recitals. A couple of months ago, I danced as a guest artist of Team Dance Studio in their recital. I danced the title role of "Nikiya". My daughter was a part of that recital. She was one of the temple dancers. It's always a surreal experience when we share moments on stage. But as my daughter grows older it becomes more and more meaningful to me. The memories are etched deeper into my soul. As dancers always share with regular folk, every performance is a significant memory.  Sharing a performance with a little one propels it to epic moment level. Conquering the stage together fills me with pride and love. Seeing her revel in beauty and light makes me feel proud that she has the courage to dance. On the other hand I'm overwhelmed with love that she sees me as a beautiful ballerina. Some days, I forget to care what the rest of the world thinks. 

That's my little girl behind me (top left photo) Photo by Tricia Roxas

I guess my point in sharing all of this is that, dancing forever is not an easy feat. It's a battle to keep the passion for your art alive. Sometimes, dancers need a little help from  the people around us. I am blessed that I have a daughter who acts as my shield from negativity. Sometimes, I stop dancing for me and dance for her. It doesn't have to be a daughter. The important thing is to listen to  somebody who cares about you. Absorbing a little positivity, soaking in a compliment is not necessarily bad if it pushes you to dance for another day.  It gets harder......... but that doesn't mean it won't get even better than yesterday.