Make like nike and JUST DO IT!

Lately I have been kind of dreading going back to school... except for the small fact that I get to start doing ballet again! I am in LOVE with ballet! Who woulda thunk! 

All growing up my favorite styles of dance went in this order: Tap, Lyrical, Jazz, thennnn ballet came last.

Always.

Until grade eleven (?) when I did both a tap exam and a ballet exam. 

Dance exams are SCARY! 

For the entire year, you learn a syllabus. Certain exercises at the barre and then in the center and you also have to memorize questions and answers and such. A big wig examiner watches you perform all the exercises and then they ask you questions and you have to recite the answers. Its just so incredibly nerve wracking.. especially if you are the person in front, because then you don't even have the other people to cheat off of! The mirrors are all covered up and you have to slick your hair back all nasty like. You have to have a specific outfit on and such and you get to wear a number.

Its kind of a big deal.

It was a Grade 7 tap exam. dun dun dunnnn

My mom got 100% on her grade 7 tap exam when she took it so that was my goal.

I wanted to be as good as my mom cuz she is ridiculous. If you've never seen her tap, then you should get right on that.  

She's a talented lady! 

So preparing for this tap exam was hard. I had the ballet exam to think about as well which was just added stress. I studied super super hard and practiced all the time. It helped having my mom as the teacher cuz I wouldn't have to be in class to ask her questions about the steps.

I tapped under my desks at school and when people would get mad at me for doing that, I'd tap with my hands on my desk instead. I studied the questions and answers instead of doing my work during class. I tapped in the halls during breaks and such. Just always tapping... I still do that too. Its a habit I think. 

Anyway, so I studied super duper hard and then the day came to take the exam. I was really nervous and the atmosphere was incredibly tense! We did the exam and I still remember the bombrashay (spelling? mom help me out here) exersize.I messed up and I thought ohhhhh gall.there goes my 100%. It made me even more determined to get everything else perfect. We finished with the exam and then we just kinda hung around the studio because the examiner was going to do a contemporary workshop with us after she was finished. 

My mom was gathering up all the papers and snuck a look at my score. She then pulled me into the studio and was like, "so what do you think you got?" I said, "I don't know... I messed up once. Did you see my grade?" She then got this big grin on her face and nodded and she was all, "You got 100%!!!!!" Then we shared a tearful hug! I was so so SO excited! 

My hard work payed off. Isn't that the greatest feeling? When you work so hard for something and then it just turns out great? Oh I love it!

Now that the tap exam was over. I had to think about the ballet exam. I studied and studied and practiced and practiced. We had to travel to Calgary for this exam and it was the intermediate foundation exam. 

Big stuff! 

 Exam day arrived.

My mom almost killed us on the way to Calgary haha I got into the exam and did my best. Now the grading system for ballet exams is different than tap. It goes fail, pass, merit, distinction. I got distiction :) My ballet teacher called me a month or so after the exam and told me. My Nana and my mother just happened to be right there when I found out and at first I didn't know what distinction meant so Miss Jodi told me and I started crying. She told me that it was nearly impossible to get higher than an 80? correct me if I'm wrong. and I got like an 83? something like that... My Nana and mom just started crying right there with me. They were so happy for me and so proud :)I was oh so incredibly excited too! Ever since then I've LOVED ballet! 

Just working hard and having it pay off made me love it so much. 

Tap is still my favorite, but ballet DEFINITELY comes in second place! 

The point of this post wasn't to brag by any means, but more to talk about how the more effort you put into something, the more rewarding it becomes. 

Yesterday, Tia Heggie was over at our house playing with Camrie and Matlin. I am constantly talking dance these days it seems so we were chatting about how much they hate ballet and how I used to feel the same way about it. I told them that I worked super super hard at it and then I fell in love with it. I never thought that was possible as a kid. Ballet was just so so boring! That's how they feel and they probably think I'm crazy for loving it so much now but seriously!!  

It is the BEST feeling to know that if I really put in the effort to do something, it'll be worth it. 

Every drop of blood, sweat, and tears are worth it! 

Ahh I just can't even begin to stress to those little dancers how if I could go back... I would take dance so much more seriously. I watch shows like Dance Moms on Lifetime (if you haven't watched it, do! its HILARIOUS! and they are disgustingly talented!) and think, if only I had been pushed more. If only I had taken it more seriously and really stretched at home every day like I said I would. If only I had practiced that much harder. If only.. gahh. I hate if onlys. They just make me feel like I'm wishing for something I can't have but I want all those little dancers that I taught last year to understand how EASY they have it. My mom wants to show them Miss Abbey Lee from Dance Moms so maybe they'll get it.  

They have such potential and I just want them to see that and to reach their full potential! 

I think that's why I want to teach dance so badly. I just love seeing people reach their potential and become the best that they can be! oh gall look at me gettin all sappy.. I apologize if you are gagging right now reading this. congrats on making it this far. 

But really. I don't know how many times I have to say it before it clicks for those little kidlets. I want to tell them to not waste their time. To start now! To take it seriously NOW because they will fall even more in love with it! 

They need to MAKE LIKE NIKE AND JUST DO IT! Give it all you've got. Don't hold back because that doesn't get you anywhere.. 

Ok I'm done ranting now. You get the picture? I'm just a little bit frustrated about it is all..

What do you think about all of this.. TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS pretty please!