there is a special breed of human. the kind of human that pays for an hour of being pinched, yelled at, & criticized. This kind of human spends hours in a mirrored room full of other sweaty people, with music blaring so loud you can feel it inside you, going over the same little things. They get excited for a the weekend nights when they have a chance to attend 'rounds.' rounds. what are rounds? Rounds are where this group of humans submits themselves to hours of sweating, crying, bleeding, getting yelled at, pinched, smacked, & enduring extreme pain. These humans, love spending their entire saturdays stuck in a high school gym competing against their greatest friends. These humans only count to 8, & wish their competition scores to be as low as possible. They spend endless amounts of money on lessons, competition fees, & competition attire. They think tight pants & tail suits are attractive menswear. & as for the ladies, the more rhinestones/feathers/fringe/ruffles you can fit on your body, the better. These people use more hairspray in one day than was used in the film 'Hairspray.' The women are expected to wear more make-up than hookers. Both males & females try to achieve a skin tone 10 shades darker than Snooki.
They all have sold their souls to this all-encompassing sport.
Who are these humans?
We are ballroom dancers.
"We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for tears, we dance for hopes, we dance for dreams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams."
To anyone outside of the sport it seems crazy. Why would we put so much money, time & effort into this, what are we getting out of it? That is impossible to explain. There is no way to describe the feeling that comes from finally mastering a step after you have been practicing for so long. Or the amazing feeling of being out on the floor, music pumping through you, audience cheering, dancing your heart out. There is no explanation for the joy that comes from approval from a coach. We can attempt to share what it's like to be a part of the ballroom family, but no one truly understands. We are all so perfect together. We understand, & are always there for one another. We can go from wanting to kill each other on the floor, to being best friends the second we step off. We are just family. that's the way it is.
I am so grateful for all the friends i have made through dance. The partners I have had have been truly amazing. Through all the drama & hard work I have learned so much from all of them. The coaches I have trained with, who have all pushed me to become a better dancer, & taught me if i practice hard enough i can attain anything. The teams i have been on, & the bond we all have, the way we can push each other to the brink during rehearsal, & in the end the it all pays off. The best friends I have made, who are just as weird, & insane as I am, who are always there when i need help, & love me no matter what. Nothing can replace memories from dance trips, All the opportunities dance has given me, & the pure joy it brings me. i don't know what i would do without dance.
It is not just a hobby, it is a part of me.
p.s. I cried a little while watching this video. & then going through all these pictures of dance. Shows just how much i love it & all those people in the pictures.
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