Keeping Promises Through Dance: A Personal Journey of Rediscovery and Learning

On November 1, 2024, I began a new journey of rediscovery through dance, performing​​ in front of over 200 people at a school pep rally. A nostalgic rush of euphoria and joy washed over me, dissolving my nervousness. The satisfaction I felt while dancing was a feeling long forgotten and left behind in my childhood days. To others, this dance performance was just like any other​      but for me, it was a rare moment of reflection on how I had let social pressure change me and​ the​​​ beginning of a new promise to never turn my back on dancing again. This is a true story of the lessons I learned in rediscovering my passion for dance. 

At my dad’s computer, you would always find a young girl at home doing endless ballet twirls, trying to mimic the fast, rapid movements of her favourite singers. Her big, bright smile lit up the living room, radiating joy as she danced and grooved to the beat of the music. However, as I started school, my relationship with dance began to change.

Dancing was only “cool” if you took extracurricular classes and became skilled. It wasn’t for people who just wanted to vibe awkwardly.

Wanting to fit in and avoid judgment, I pushed my love for dance aside. Slowly, the joy I once felt when I moved to music turned into embarrassment. I convinced myself that dancing wasn’t something I could enjoy openly anymore. The pressure to conform and be accepted by my friends led me to suppress a part of myself I had cherished for so long. 

​​On​​ October 22, 2024, I took a step I hadn’t expected. I joined the school dance club. The dance team needed an extra person to fill a last-minute spot for a pep rally performance, just one week away, and they were looking for volunteers. I don’t know what drove me to raise my hand. Part of me was hesitant, afraid of dancing in front of a potentially judgmental crowd, but something inside pushed me forward. Maybe it was that young girl within me, the one who loved ​to ​dance without fear, urging me to say “yes.” We were dancing to “Love Dive” by IVE, a fast-paced and intricate song, and I had only a week to learn the choreography while my teammates had been practicing for two months. But despite the pressure, I poured everything into learning it, driven by the promise I’d made to my newfound friends to perform with them. 

Practicing for the performance was anything but easy. The fast-paced choreography was challenging​ ​and no matter how much I practiced, I struggled to get each move just right. The pressure of keeping up with my team, who had been practicing for months, weighed heavily on me. Thankfully, two of my teammates were incredibly patient and supportive. They stayed with me after school in the hallway, guiding me through each step until I finally got it down. Even when the stress felt overwhelming, I kept going, practicing every day for hours. My calves ached, my feet were sore, but I pressed on, determined to be ready for the big day. 

On the day of the performance, my mind was swirling with anxiety. I couldn’t stop thinking about the crowd’s potential reactions. Would they notice every misstep? Would they mock me if I faltered? These fears weighed on me, and I replayed imaginary scenes of my schoolmates booing me off the stage. But as I stepped into the bright spotlight, something changed.

A wave of confidence and joy washed over me, melting away the pressure as I moved to the music. Under the lights, we transformed into stars. ​

At that moment, I was truly happy. The rush of joy and passion from dancing felt all too familiar, and I saw clearly how much I had let social pressure hold me back. I had spent too much time trying to fit in and missing out on what truly made me happy, all to appease peers who didn’t care about my genuine self. I realized it’s never worth sacrificing my happiness, or anyone’s happiness, to meet others’ expectations or gain their approval. 

With this lesson clear in my mind, I made a promise to myself: I would never turn my back on dance again. Reclaiming dance didn’t just bring me joy, it renewed a promise to stay true to myself​ no matter what pressures come my way. This experience marked a powerful new beginning for me, a realization that will shape my journey with dance from now on.