Amelia Kosmal Per 6

Personal Narrative

Ever since I decided to start dancing again, my mind had been set on improvement. My

passion for ballet was controlling my life and I wanted nothing but to be a good dancer. Although

I went to class every day, stretched in my free time, and took up any extra time I had to research

how to get better there was a small part of me that knew I’d probably never be good enough.

You see, I quit ballet when I was ten and started again when I was twelve. Although it was just a

short two year period, taking that long of a break caused me to forget all my knowledge and lose

most of my flexibility and strength. Twelve isn’t exactly an ideal age to start dancing ballet, there

are very few people in the ballet world who’d become successful when they’d start so late into

their childhood, this is because by your teen years your body is mostly done growing, which

means your muscles aren’t accustomed to being put into the weird positions that are used in

ballet.

Although the dark truth of not ever being able to achieve my dreams haunted me, I kept

working hard. I didn't have much confidence in my own dancing either, even when I’d spent so

much time practicing. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could have more turnout, my

extensions could be higher, and how I could be doing so much better overall. I wanted those

things so badly, but It felt like such a hard goal to reach. Nonetheless, I tried my absolute best in

every ballet class. My hard work paid off because after an audition for my studio’s production of

Cinderella I was cast as one of the two horses! The girls who had previously held this role were

the two best dancers at my studio. I was shocked, and I couldn’t believe that I’d actually got the

part. The role was extremely difficult, even my horse partner admitted it when she’d had some of
the hardest parts in our previous shows. I was in disbelief that I had been cast such a good part,

I couldn’t believe that my ballet teacher had so much faith in me. My ballet teacher’s support

didn’t end there, though. A few days later my ballet teacher pulled me aside during class. She

told me that she noticed that I’d been working hard and to continue to do so because I had a lot

of potential. I couldn’t hear the rest of what she said under the loud sound of classical music

blasting into my ears, but what she said inspired me to work even harder. Later that day, after

an intense rehearsal for my role as the horse, I sat aside during the older girl’s rehearsal. I

watched as they stood on their toes and lifted their legs, which reached higher than their heads.

One of the dancers jokingly said to me as I watched from the side of the room, “What are you

doing? You should be understudying!” I laughed at his sarcastic remark, I wasn’t nearly good

enough to even understudy a role being performed by the best dancers at my studio.

Regardless, I couldn’t wait to be like them in the future, which didn’t seem so far away after

what my ballet teacher said to me. My teacher must’ve felt that I had been doing particularly well

in class that day because after a few run-throughs she announced, “Amelia! Why don’t you

understudy?” She was joking, right? “And if you do well enough, I’ll even let you perform one of

the shows!” Once again, I was in disbelief. Just a few months ago I had admired the older

dancers from the side of the stage as they performed this part, and the thought of being up

there with them seemed like a dream come true.

After this series of events, I realized that my poor confidence was just a result of me

underestimating myself. I learned that no matter how impossible a goal seems to be, with hard

work and determination, anything is possible; even when you’re given disadvantages.