Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt: My Journey to Self-Confidence

My eldest sister was a professional cheerleader. My second eldest sister rode horses and speaks fluent Spanish. My third sister played three instruments, crocheted, drew, and cooked. Even my younger brother was in the choir and played cello. I was in the middle. I felt like I had no skills. I can’t cheer, nor can I ride horses or speak another language fluently. My cooking is sub-par, and my skills as a violinist were… underdeveloped. I would always be seated in the back row of the second violins, the lowest of the low. All theses reasons contributed to why I didn’t join the color guard for three years, even after being constantly pressured and supported by the instructor. I would tell them that my knee hurt too much, or that it was too much money, however, the reality was I was too self conscious, too scared of failure to even try.

I met many new friends and rose above my new peers. I found I actually had a talent for this, finally something to separate me from my siblings. The joy I feel is a feeling I will cherish for quit a while, and that is why I want this to be my senior project. By making a color guard show, I will be able to assert that I have mastered this skill, and be able to share my feelings in a productive manner that will hopefully make others feel these strong emotions as well. I shall research the evolution of ballet for it is an imperative part of color guard and combines the acting, dancing, and body movement pieces of the whole color guard performance. Dance has always been a weak point of mine, and so I hope this research will provide me with new insights into dance and