Dance With Me?

(7th Grade Language Arts - October 2013)

            Corrie Ten Boom, Holocaust survivor and author of The Hiding Place, once stated, “Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future,”. Ten Boom’s quote emphasizes the importance of memories and the impacts they can have on our lives; memories are the keys that unlock our future. Ten Boom is not alone in her beliefs on the effects of one’s memories in daily life, whether positive or negative. In the novel, The Giver, author Lois Lowry depicts a community where memories of true feelings and emotions are nonexistent. The sagacious character termed as The Giver is the only citizen in the community who holds rich memories of the past. As he transfers his experiences of the past to Jonas, his successor, we learn that memories develop wisdom and shape our future. In particular, the joyful experiences are the ones that will stay with us throughout our life. Participating in my first ballet dance as a part of the Art of Dance company was an event that began a new period in my life; I will forever connect this memory with the brilliant blue sky. From my outlook, the jubilant memories are the ones that should carry more significance in shaping the future. After all, it is the convivial times that matter most because they help to approach challenges with an optimistic attitude.

            As soon as I hear the word blue or notice anything like the infinite sky on a sunny day, I instantly recollect the memory of my first ballet dance on a competition team. At only eight years old during my first year in the Art of Dance Performing Company, I was invited to participate in that seasons ballet dance. I was thrilled to be partaking in the dance, as it was my first classical ballet piece. When our costumes were first pulled out of their bags, I immediately noticed the stunning azure leotards. It was a simple costume, a leotard and a wrapped skirt, but the blue was so bright and clear, as if the morning sky had been woven around our bodies. Our first performance was at The Youth America Grand Prix, an international ballet competition, in Philadelphia. As soon as I stepped through the doors of the building hosting the event, I was crushed by a wave of anxiety. Dancers, teachers, and parents rushed in and out of the rooms as if they were bees, bringing in the last of the honey before summer ends. I slipped into my costume and pinned my hair back in a taut bun. The stench of hairspray filled my nostrils, immediately inundating my eyes with tears. Blood red lipstick seeped into my skin, and as I licked my lips, its bitter taste numbed my tongue. Fake eyelashes weighed my eyes down, but I managed to keep them open enough to see our teacher calling us to go backstage. As I stood behind the curtains avoiding the chaos, I noticed the filled auditorium; there was not a single empty seat. When my group was called, the audience clapped enthusiastically. As I leaped, I could see nothing but the shining lights above. In that moment with the sky blue skirt flowing around my body, elation overwhelmed me.

            Whenever my memory recalls this moment, emotions of joy and excitement rush through me. There are feelings of exuberance and delight, but the emotion that calls above all others is the passion for expression. That ballet dance five years ago was the first of many, but it made me realize my love for dance, especially ballet. Yes, my costume was matte blue, but now that color is no longer just a visual. At first, it was the feeling of life and energy of being on the stage. Now, this pristine blue has come to symbolize luck. I had worn that same color leotard three years later when auditioning for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and then only a month later for the first onstage rehearsal at Radio City. My first live performance sparked my love for ballet and passion for dance. The matte blue costume alludes to the sky’s boundless expanse, and it challenges me to reach for my dreams. My experiences, in many ways, shape my character, but what are experiences if not memories of the past? I want to be a positive and optimistic person, and I see the memories of joy and accomplishment as the key to my future.

         

   The memory of my first ballet performance is especially joyful because I overcame physical inhibitions and anxieties.  The emotions we feel from memories shape who we are, and allow us to grow stronger. The residents of the secluded community in Lowry’s novel The Giver have been denied such memories; therefore, they cannot experience what it means to be truly alive. The citizens exist in a benign world where there are no real emotions, setting them back from growing and becoming individuals. The memory of my first ballet dance has broadened my horizons, and allowed me to discover the passion I have for dance. Memories are lanterns that light up our path in the darkness; they lead us through the moments of uncertainty, creating the individuals we are meant to be.