The Common Application Essay
Question:
My passion for ballet ignited in preschool when a guest ballet teacher handed out a flyer. Beyond ecstatic, I held onto the flimsy flier with my two small hands to ensure that my mother would sign me up so I could dream of sparkling tutus, pink slippers and bouquets of roses. Eventually as my determination expanded beyond these innocent dreams, I faced the reality of ballet training: long hours, agony, pain, and sacrifices.
As I enter the ballet studio, all worries dissipate because in that moment my responsibility is to focus strictly on the movement and the circular energy flowing through my body. “Breathe!” my teacher insist as she demands perfect alignment, maximum turnout, lifted elbows, and épaulement. It is the first
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Ballet has molded me into a person that smiles through hardships and lives for the daily challenges. Additionally, my ballet training allows me to put other things into perspective and is applicable to my academics. Often times, math and physic systems of forces, centroids and torque can be applied to ballet movements. For example, a simple pirouette (turn) is possible because of the torque the legs and arms create, the rotational momentum of the body, and the force the legs create against the ground. Furthermore, my ballet training is much more than leading an important role. Over the course of a thousand of ballet classes I have developed the ability to listen and attentively follow choreography. Also, the creative aspect of ballet adds a unique element to the way I think, solve problems, and view life.
Not only has ballet taught me how to move gracefully, it has taught me commitment and persistence. Every class, every performance, every combination is the opportunity to grow. Through this art I have developed a tough skin that helps me fight adversity; however, most importantly I have learned passion and
Ballet has been an art form since the late fifteenth century, but society did not truly see the impact of ballet until the nineteenth century. Modern day thinkers possess the idea that ballet began with tutus and pointe shoes, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that this opinion was observed. Ballet has come a long way. It has survived the turmoil of many wars and has changed itself by accepting new ideas and impressing the audience with its unique stylistic views.
Ballet is an athletic art form that utilizes muscle control, flexibility, and physical strength. It requires extreme discipline from the dancers and takes an extreme amount of mental concentration. This discipline causes dancers to have success throughout life and specifically in academic studies. There are many ways that dance can affect the success of a person’s life; however, there are two in specific that make dancers generally more successful. To begin, ballet causes dancers to be self-motivated workers; dancers cannot rely on others to push them to be better, but must have the drive within themselves.
Aalten, A. (2005). In the presence of the body: Theorizing training, injuries and pain in ballet. Dance Research Journal, 37(2), 55-72. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20444641
Li’s passion for ballet shows on and off stage through his arabesques, flexibility, fouettés, grande jeté and pirouettes that were nothing less than perfection. I understood that becoming a dancer requires commitment, passion and having a great memory as there’s many moves, routines and ballet terms that you need to learn. When I was performing on stage, I felt free and that I could own the stage as it felt like it was my second home. I also felt complete within myself just as Li felt. To perform on stage, you need to be light and graceful along with connecting to the music using precise steps, poses and formal gestures. The film used dance, music, scenery, and costumes to portray a story characterised by Li’s dance. Classical ballet dancers require the utmost grace and I’ve found that you also need a tremendous level of concentration and memory. This portrays when his choreographer Ben Stevenson asked Li Cunxin to replace the main male role due to an injury on the day of the performance to memorise new dances and perform them in front of an enormous crowd. Many of my performances have been in a group where we all need to be in sync and work together. This film highlighted that in order to become a professional ballet dancer, you have to prepare to work extremely hard no matter how gruelling the schedule is in order to
The author of this article focuses on the art of dancing, specifically ballet. This ballet shares many plot elements with other
I have been dancing since the age of four. I started my intense training with Tanju and Patricia Tuzer, Debra Bale, and Linda Brown at Tuzer Ballet. I developed as a dancer, attending every summer intensive performing in every show, advancing from intermediate to apprentice to junior company and finally to senior company. The dance studio became my second home. I took classes in ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, tap, jazz, lyrical jazz, theatrical movement, hip-hop, zumba, and African-Ballet, pointe, contemporary, and lyrical jazz being my favorites. Even w...
Bryant, Janine. "Dancers as Athletes." The Dance Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. .
I considered myself a performer, and after years training as a classical ballerina I expanded into stunting and tumbling. While on tour, I developed friendships and bonds with dancers strengthened by a mutual love for dance, a commonality over the pain our bodies endured daily, and conversations on bruised and broken toes.
Ballet is a form of theatrical dance that has existed for approximately 400 years. This form of dance is very difficult to learn and perform because it is based on specific steps that have been passed down from previous generations. These steps have to be performed with precision according to established standards set by the choreographer. Ballet artistically communicates the story of man’s emotions, beauty, and traditions. All forms of communication evolves over time, ballet is no exception. The ballet of today is not the ballet of yesterday. Jean-Georges Noverre’s revolutionary thinking transformed the ballet of yesterday into the modern ballet we know today.
Nobles and royalty created ballet in the 1400s as a means to showcase the grandeur of their courts (Bailey 16). Today, the performance art has evolved into countless techniques and styles, drawing millions of audience members all around the world. This enduring transformation from noble spectacle to professional craftsmanship was spearheaded by the leaders and influential voices of the dance world: artistic directors. Presently, artistic directors are multitalented individuals who can teach, choreograph, and run a business; although traditional schooling is not required, rigorous multifaceted education is necessary and can prepare an individual for a difficult but rewarding future.
When I was about four or five years old, I was introduced to Ballet. I adored being a little ballerina and would read the same dance booklet everyday, practicing the five positions and gracefully positioning my tiny arms and fingers to match the little girl in the illustrations. Because I loved dance so much, my mother enrolled me in Donna Hammond-Phelps
Ballet has always come easily to me. I have "the right body" for classical ballet. Formerly, I was a competition dancer, but then after hearing that I had potential to become good at ballet, I wanted to stop having "potential" and start being "good." I switched to another studio and focused purely on classical ballet. I started pointe at 14 (much later than is typical of most ballerinas), and everything progressed smoothly.
Ballet is a beautiful and romantic type of performance art. It originated in the Italian court systems in the 15th century (Jonas). Since its origination, ballet has undergone many changes and gained worldwide recognition. Filled with elaborate costumes, cheering audiences, lights, weightless movements and beauty; ballet is admired by many. On the magical stage ballerinas can become whoever they wan to be, and perform in a world of fantasy. For these reasons, children, especially little girls, all over the world dream of becoming ballerinas when they grow up. However, becoming a professional ballerina is an extremely difficult accomplishment, in which few will achieve (Kelso 1). The world of ballet may seem to be filled with glitz and glamor but, behind the curtain there is an entirely different story. There are extreme demands and pressures put on these young dancers to be very thin and nearly perfect. Some of which include body and weight demands, competition, and social pressures. These constant pressures can lead to a negative body-image and even debilitating eating disorders (Price and Pettijohn).
The sweet music filling my ears, the adrenaline racing through my body, it was something I longed to feel. As a little girl, all I wanted to do was dance, it was all I would talk and think about but I couldn’t and that was the biggest disappointment in my little mind. Around the age of eight I build up the courage to ask my mom if she could enroll me in dance class, and I remembered my mom looking me in my eyes and saying the words I never wanted to hear “not right now”. I remember her telling me that she didn’t have the money to put me in dance classes.
I began ballet lessons at the age of 3 and always adored performing from the very beginning. I grew up in tights and leotards, always dreaming of attending Julliard and dancing alongside of Mikhail Baryshnikov (Go big or go home, right?). For 12 years, I trained in ballet and told countless stories through my dancing. Then, I discovered the power of words