Personal Narrative Essay: Nutmeg Ballet School

“Don’t trust anyone. You are only a girl from a foreign country to them. No one really cares about you, especially when you go to college and stay in the U.S by yourself.”

That morning me, my mom, and my sisters went to the competition. It stunk we had to

The night of the 8th grade dance. It’s suppose to be one of the greatest times of an eighth grader's school year right? Nothing too bad could go wrong, besides stupid drama...right? Students dancing around, hanging out with their friends, and taking pictures in a photo booth sound great!...well maybe not quite…

Over the course of many years, African Americans have influenced communities in many ways. African Americans have been used as slaves and segregated. After overcoming these struggles, they later were granted freedoms and rights. Many African American individuals have overcome these hard times and worked hard to achieve their dreams. Misty Copeland, Patricia Bath, and Madam C.J. Walker are courageous African-American women who have overcome racial stereotypes because of their determination to pursue what they love; Misty Copeland’s determination led her to pursue dance, and Patricia Bath and Madam C.J. Walker were strong, African American entrepreneurs.

This summer, I had to turn my back on something that has been close with me since I was eight. My dance studio closed, I had been going there since I was eight. To be honest, when I first started, I was terrible. But weren’t we all when we first started the sport that we loved? Six years later, I am still dancing and even more than I had when I first started. Now I am on the high school dance team. Which wouldn’t have happened had I not fallen in love with the sport at such a young age. My teacher sparked a fire inside me which would not be easily put out. So, as you can imagine, I had a hard time with all of it. Because without her, I would definitely not the person and dancer I am today.

A small boy with big dreams was surrounded by many people who did not believe in him, but that never stopped home from trying to achieve his lifelong dream. In the movie “Rudy” by Angelo Pizzo, Rudy was a small young man who did not have the best grades but had a big dream. This dream was becoming a player on his favourite football team at Notre Dame. Ever since Rudy was a boy, he dreamed about playing for this one team, but not many people believed in him. Although some people did not believe in Rudy, he still showed “blessed are the meek” towards them. These peoples were Rudy’s family and his teacher. When Rudy felt as if he needed help, he showed “blessed are the poor in spirit”. This is when Rudy got himself a tutor and when he prayed to

Right before I went out onto the field to play catch with two kids my dad nodded, "Good luck!" After we had warmed up the coaches had us catch pop ups. They hit the pop ups with a tennis racket. Next they had a hit. If we were not hitting we were in the field catching the balls that the other kids hit.

“All the adversity I 've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” Walt Disney . Who would have thought Walt Disney experienced obstacles? However, obstacles are a fact of life, no matter who you are. Likewise, if authors didn’t include obstacles or conflicts in their stories, readers would find their writings boring. Real life and fictional obstacles can make life challenging but interesting.

Misty Copeland was the first African American to become a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She had a rough childhood, but her story shows how having patience and being a hardworking person pays off in the end. Even though her youth wasn’t great, she pursued her dream of having a career in professional dance and continues to make headlines wherever she goes.

I start off everyday by getting ready and heading to school. When I get there, I walk into the choir hall and prepare for an hour and a half long rehearsal that I know will leave me tired. We always start with ten or twenty minutes full of physical exercise. When that is done, we move into breathing exercises that always somehow seem more physically demanding. Finally, we get to singing; which is my favorite part of the whole day. After that, I painfully move through my classes ready for the next morning when I get to go to rehearsal again. When I leave school-on days I don’t stay after- I get into my car, turn it on, and hear my music again. This time it is on a CD and I happily sing along. When I get home, I study my music for thirty minutes

Without the slightest doubt in my mind, making Alabama’s all-state honor band is my proudest achievement. Of all the prideful moments in my life, earning a spot in all-state shines brightest of all; it took more effort and dedication than any other challenge I have ever faced. However, as physically and mentally draining as all-state was, one week later I wanted to do it all over again; this taught me a few things, namely that I especially love music, have an extremely competitive drive, and am willing and capable to accomplish any goal I set for myself. In other words, playing with the all-state honor band is my crowning achievement because it taught me who I am.

Thump! Thump! Thump! My heart was a drum, I was so excited but nervous at the same time while I was jogging out on the field. We were playing against the SaberCats, and it looked like it was going to be tough competition. What I didn't know is that the day was going to be turned upside down. Today I was playing first base, and number five was up. I was so nervous. Sweat was already dripping from my hands. And my throat tightened so tight, I felt like I couldn't breath. That’s when I remembered the time we were at tryouts. A year ago, when I was at tryouts, I was so nervous, sweat was dripping from my hands before we even got there. After the tryout, I was really happy with what I had did.. Then a couple weeks later, we got a call and they said

I was never going to be perfect. This is the only thought I had when my parents told me that they had just scheduled my scoliosis surgery. All of my hard work and dedication to gymnastics had been for nothing as I was never going to reach the top. From the time I was three until about twelve, I trained and competed at an elite level for gymnastics. My gymnastics career had taken me all around the nation, meeting Olympians and competing against the best. I had trained anywhere from eighteen to thirty-eight hours a week, working towards a “perfect ten.” Even when I was awarded first place, it still was not perfect. I always needed to make corrections. “Keep your legs straight, Megan! Point your feet!” my coach would holler comparing me to my teammates. In order to be noticed, I had to be the best. And I wanted to be the best. But scoliosis changed everything. All of my years of hard work to perfect my tumbling skills, strength, and flexibility felt as if they amounted to nothing. Not only did I feel like I failed my coaches, but I felt as though I failed my parents and everything they invested in me, including time and money. I truly was never going to be perfect.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a specific moment in one’s life in which your life is transformed. We often realize that this moment is so signingagent when looking back on personal experiences and don’t realize it at the time. For me, this moment occurred when I realized that I had taken what I love most for granted.

My dance experience trails back to when I was a freshman in high school, getting involved in some classes at my local dance studio. Immediately, I fell in love with this art form and knew I wanted to carry it with me beyond high school. I began dancing as a dance major at Mesa College in Fall 2017. While I am only just beginning to delve into my second semester, I can already say that I have expanded my knowledge of dance and dance technique at Mesa. In my dance classes, I have been able to improve upon my body placement and proper alignment. With the help of my instructors, I am able to work towards improving elements I have always struggled with, such as balance. Even outside of class, like auditioning for Mesa 's dance concert, I have found that the structure and organization of these auditions has helped prepare me for audition processes in the real world. Picking up and retaining choreography quickly is something I tend to struggle with, but these auditions give me the practice necessary to perform to my greatest ability and figure out methods to be on top of my game. Dance is like therapy to me, and after a long day of work or other classes, it feels comforting to have my dance classes as an outlet to express myself and exert my energy into something positive. On that same note, I have felt overwhelming support from my dance instructors at Mesa. There are times where I 've felt alone as a dance major, especially coming to college for the first time and realizing that