The Independent Dancer.

As a little girl, I was an introvert; super shy, quiet, and often kept to myself. My parents enrolled me in my first dance class at age 3 to help build my confidence and explore friendships and independence.

I remember walking into dance for the first time with fear. Fear I wouldn’t make friends; Fear of leaving my mom; Fear of being alone. At 3 years old, I can only imagine (and really don’t remember entirely) all the scenarios I played in my head of what would actually happen in those 45 minutes. A tiny one room studio, no waiting area, no receptionist- just me, my new ballet friends, and Miss Denise.

By the time class had ended, I made 3 friends (whom I still have today), learned my first ballet position (1st position), had a dream of a teacher (Miss Denise), and loved every minute of it.

Year after year, I attended dance class. It became “my thing”. My confidence grew, my friends became “my dance best friends”, and my shyness seemed to float away. By the time I hit college, presentations in front of my class, performing theater productions, and dancing on stage became a piece of cake to this once shy little girl.

Now, almost 37 years later, I walk into new classrooms each month to teach all over the district; I stand in front of a crowd of 500 family members each show; and I perform nightly dance parties with my 8 year old. All of which, I truly believe, would not be possible if my parents didn’t

walk me into my first dance class, wave goodbye, and say “you can do this”.

My teachers and myself really try to bring “the independent dancer“ out of all your little ones (big and small). We don’t want them to grow up fast, but we want them to stand tall and know they can do it on their own if they need to. ❤️🖤

XOXO

Miss Susie