My high school days were spent dancing jazz, contemporary, ballet, and hip hop at 24/7 Danceforce company in Kaneohe.
Dancing was my favorite of all my activities, and so by high school, it was what I spent just about all of my free time doing. Music moved me, and my body felt free, and my soul felt healed as we expressed our feelings and told stories through dance.
24/7 Danceforce Studio, in particular, is the place that also taught me a great deal about pursuing excellence. They were known as the best, and I wanted to be among the best. Even though I struggled at first and was always pushed in a room full of incredibly gifted dancers, something about that environment made me strive for more, not settle for average.
With that came a lot of commitment: long hours, rehearsals, and sacrificing other activities when they conflicted with my dance schedule.
I didn’t originally plan to pursue a career in dance; I mainly took it up for fun because I enjoyed it. But I am so grateful I found something I enjoy for myself that also keeps me moving and motivated to stay in shape so I can keep going well into my fifties or sixties!
Sometimes, the things we enjoyed as kids are still the same things we enjoy today. And if that can keep us well and active, then we should keep on dancing!
Finding peace by piece:
We can find peace by piece in revisiting the things we loved to do as a kid to help us stay well. When it’s something we enjoy, it doesn’t feel so much like work!
