Raised by Dance by Ariel

Raised by Dance by Ariel - September 2015 Scholarship Essay

Would you say school is competitive? Grades, curves, class rank… Of course it is! Now, have you ever been to a dance competition? No comparison.
I am a dancer. Dancers basically live at their studios, which are places of constant competition and discipline. This discipline has helped me in ways that school has not. For example, my high school has a dress code: the basic “no shorts too short, hats, or inappropriate t-shirts.” But honestly, there are so many rules being broken every day that teachers just don’t have the heart to call students out on their clothes any more. Thus, the dress code has become obsolete. However, the dress code at my studio is a strict “black leotard, tan tights, shoes without holes, hair in a tight bun at all times.” If I break a rule, I am reminded every day that I am dressed wrong and eventually, the instructors will lose their patience with me and ask me to leave. Some may say that it is a harsh policy, but it’s all for my own good. If I were to grow up in a lenient studio, then try to make it as a dancer in the real world, I would be laughed out of every audition. The same can be said for school. The dress code, really, is just preparing the students for real life. If students do not pay attention to it, chances are some of them will lose out on some job because they showed up to their interview in short-shorts and a belly shirt thinking nothing is wrong.
Following the dress code, while an important skill, is not the only thing I have learned from dancing. I have learned that everything you are told to do in school is all in an effort to prepare you for college, getting a job, starting a career, and the rest of your life. Therefore I better understand the importance of following rules and doing as the teacher tells me to because they always have a reason. Dance prepares me for real life, just as school does, but without dance, I may never have fully realized that. If I did not receive a certain level of discipline from my studio, I may have turned out no better off than the former rule-breaking student who just lost a job.
Another example that comes to mind is the first time I went to an overnight intensive dance camp. The summer after my sophomore year, I spent a week in a dorm with three other girls and spent eight hours a day training and dancing. Halfway through the week, I had proved myself to the instructors and was therefore moved up a level. I had to work harder to keep up, and I was already exhausted and sore from the first two days of the week. But new challenges presented themselves. The higher level class had their own dances to perform at the end of the week so I had to push aside the dances I had already learned and catch up to the new, more difficult choreography. When I didn’t know the new dance that first day, I was scolded and told that I should have sought out a level three dancer to teach me beforehand so I did not hold the class back. I was humiliated but that night I asked for help, did my work, and came in the next day completely caught up and prepared. The teacher was satisfied, impressed, and she and I actually became friends throughout the rest of the week.
What I gathered from this experience that I applied to my schoolwork the following year is that, one, it never hurts to be ahead of the game, because when the work gets harder, your preparation will only help you succeed. And two, it is okay to ask for help when you need it. If I had thought ahead and asked for help before joining a harder class, then I would have only been better off. I would not have been embarrassed or distracted during class and would have probably performed better in the end. But if I did not make the mistake, I would not have learned the lesson. Now, in school, I always take time to meet with my teachers to ask for the help I need when I do not understand something, and I also make sure to glance ahead in the textbook to find out what is coming next. I definitely believe that I am only a better student (and dancer!) because of my camp experience.
Growing up a dancer has helped me to learn discipline which I have applied to my academic career. Ballet has helped me to understand that repetition is key to learning anything. Competitions have taught me that even though I put in hours and hours a week dancing, practicing, and preparing, there is always another team that has done more, and they are the team that is going to win. Just like spending hours doing my homework and studying is great, but the more effort I put in, the better results I will get on tests, getting into college, and hopefully, in the rest of my life!