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MAY/JUNE 2016

YOUNG JOURNALIST
What Ballet Means To Me

By Jared Zeltner

 

Jared ZeltnerI started ballet when I was three, at a time when my family was struggling to figure out my multiple food allergies.  In most activities I am known as the allergy kid, not the kid who is good at science and math, who also has a great sense of humor.  People often dismiss me because they think being around me is too much work.  In ballet, I am known for my passion, work ethic, and dancing and not my food allergies.  Ballet has given me a place where I am known for who I am and what I can do, and I am not labeled by my allergies.  Ballet is a safe haven for me where I can be myself. 

When I walk into the studio I feel at home.  As I step up to the barre, a sense of joy and peace washes over me.  I love the structure and order of the class.  I love the endless quest for perfection.  A dancer is always challenged because you can always improve.  Technique can be perfected and strength can be gained.  When I am dancing, I feel like I am defying gravity. 

Another aspect of ballet that I enjoy is performing.  Performing makes me feel euphoric and it is exhilarating.  I live for the feeling of standing on stage after dancing my heart out and hearing the audience applaud.  I love exercising my memory, and rehearsing tirelessly before a show.  Ballet is not just a physical journey; it is an emotional one as well.  Sometimes when I am feeling sad or exhausted and I don’t feel like dancing, my body tells my mind that I need to dance. For me, ballet class is a spiritual experience. 

Family and ballet have been the two consistent pieces of my life.  I take comfort in knowing that no matter where I am, I will always be at home in a ballet studio. I feel so lucky to have found an activity that I am passionate about.  No matter where my training takes me, I will have learned discipline, determination, and dedication.  I will also know the feeling of belonging. #

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