Always on the Move

Remember when I was home a week ago, lounging in the sun and catching up with all the friends I'd left behind? Well, I guess there's something wrong with my feet. I guess they always have to be on the move. I don't think I am even allowed to be in a single place for more than a few weeks. Something is obviously wrong with me. I had just settled back into home life, all my bags were unpacked, I was sleeping in my own bed and eating food that was cooked for me, and I just had to turn around and leave again! The suitcases were once again filled and the plane tickets were purchased, the pointe shoes made their way out of their sojourn in my ballet bag and I was off to Salt Lake City.

It's hard leaving home. It's a terrible feeling knowing that you have to part ways with so many loved ones and friends in order to pursue a lifelong dream. I hate the fact that I will most likely always be packing and unpacking, moving from place to place to chase the goal of professional ballet. Sometimes, I just want to be at home, talking face to face with my family at the dinner table, instead of just hearing their voices over the phone. There is a certain comfort of home missing from my life, but at the same time, one has to make lots of sacrifices to be able to get where they really want to be. And it's quite a lot of sacrifices for an uncertain outcome. I have no idea if I will ever be able to get a job in a ballet company, so all I can do is keep moving forward, working hard, putting myself out there in the hopes of one day becoming the professional dancer that I've always wanted to become. I just want to thank my family and friends who have all supported me in all my crazy endeavors. You are the ones who have gotten me here.

Summertime for a dancer means it's time for summer intensives. This year, I decided to attend the Ballet West summer intensive out here in Salt Lake. When you are younger, you go for the experience of having different teachers and a different perspective on your dancing, but when you are getting to the point where you are entering the real ballet world, a summer intensive is another shot at getting a job. I came here with the intent of hopefully being offered a spot in Ballet West's trainee program. It's sort of like an unpaid internship with the company and it's like putting your toe in the door of a ballet company. It's now Friday, and I am proud to say that I have successfully gotten through the first week of a killer intensive. Before I came, I took two weeks off, which guarantees lots and lots of soreness and pain and tight muscles and fatigue when you get back into the swing of dancing again. This is exactly what happened to me, my friends. I threw myself into 9 to 5 dancing days this past Monday, and let me tell you, what a nightmare. The day starts off with a two hour ballet class, followed by an hour long pointe class, then lunch (yay!!), then an hour of partnering or another style of dance, then two hour rehearsal of repitory or composition. The first day was, to say the least, tiring. The altitude really has an immense effect on you when you've been living and dancing at sea level for the past two years. After seven long hours of dancing and killing myself, I was happy to hit my pillow at the end of the day. The second day is much much worse than the first because you are way more tired and waaay more sore!! But  nothing beats the third day, which is said to be the worst. My entire body was sore and basically screaming at me every time I moved anything. Each day is a new trial and every class means new challenges and new things to work on. Your feet hurt incredibly by the end of the day and your body gets so tired, you sometimes don't think that you can make the walk back to the dorms from the bus stop. But, this is just the reality of getting back in shape and summer intensives. And I am truly loving all of it. The teachers here make me excited to dance and the choreography we are learning is fun and challenging. It's always nice to go to a new place and see other dancers and teachers everyday. It makes you work that much more to impress everyone around you and show the teachers that you can handle what they are dishing out to you. Now that I've sort of gotten over the soreness effect of the first week, I can't wait for what the next three weeks will bring!! It's going to be over before I know it, so I just need to focus on soaking up all I can and work really really hard. Hopefully they will see some potential in me and offer me that trainee position I really want!! Wish me luck!

Well, I've got lots of icing to do and stretching to do and maybe even a little socializing to do. It is Friday night, for goodness sakes! I will be sure to keep you all posted during the next three weeks. I'll just be working my tail off! But for now, it's the weekend!! And I am so very grateful for it! Boy, do my feet need it!