Something I've noticed through the years is that in every area people are interested in, whether it be sports, movies, plays, politics...anything, there is usually one prominent person within that area that stands out from the rest. The one person is favorited, idolized and becomes an inspiration. People like Michael Jordan, Angelina Jolie, Idina Menzel and John F. Kennedy have become role models and inspirations to thousands of people. We all have someone in our lives who inspires us. For me, my inspiration is not some big name celebrity hot-shot or public figure, she's just your average twenty-something with a big heart and incredible talent. Her name is Angie, and she has been my role model since I first saw her dance fourteen years ago.
I was five when I first met Angie. We were both backstage and waiting to perform at our annual dance recital. It was my first recital, so I was nervous. Angie talked to me and told me how fun it was to perform and since her dance was before mine, she showed me that being on stage in front of a massive amount of dance moms, bored brothers, and dads behind cameras wasn't so bad. So, I watched her dance, and not only was she right, but in those few minutes, she became my role model. She made me want to dance, even though I really hadn't liked it up to that point (my mother made me dance because other sports were "too dangerous").After seeing her dance, I wanted to dance like her, to be like her. In the following years, Angie became more of a sister to me than a friend. She is the reason why I danced for fourteen years.
Angie is the most talented dancer I've ever known. She is the daughter of the owner and instructor of my former dance studio, so she grew up with dancing in her life. She started ballet dancing at the age of two and though lyrical and ballet are her strong suits, she is experienced in most dance styles ranging from hip hop to pointe. In 2005, she moved to New York City to train with the Radio City Rockettes and hopes to one day be a Rockette, like her mom. Her ambitions, her motivation and her perseverance are truly inspirational. She's just an incredible person and role model. I've always considered myself lucky to have her and her mom in my life. I wouldn't be the same without them.
Had I not met Angie, I would have quit dancing a long time ago. She's the one who made me truly passionate about dance and every year, when I watched her perform at our recitals and competitions, there was always some sort of movement or technique that I wanted to learn from her. My dancing improved immensely because of her. She sparked my interest in dance, and that interest caused me to take this class. That's why I'm here.
Here's a video of Angie dancing during the Christmas recital my studio had in December. Her dance was dedicated to her husband, who is overseas serving in the Army right now. On an added note, one of Angie's specialties is improvising, many of the moves Angie does in most of her performances are made up on the spot, she doesn't put much choreography into her routines prior to performing them. Just a fun fact. Here's the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPhQpGM54SM
What about the rest of you? Do you have any role models or inspirations in the areas that you enjoy? Any inspirational dancers, for instance?
No comments:
Post a Comment