As you all may know from my introduction page, I have been a professional dancer for a couple of years. Dance has become one of my biggest passions since I started dancing again in 2023.
When I first went to college as a freshman in 2021, I was a dance major. One semester later, I no longer believed I would be good enough to pursue dance and my passion was killed.
A few years after I stopped attending that school (took a break from classes altogether) I found the courage to start taking adult dance classes in January 2023. That summer I auditioned for an NBA hip hop dance team but did not make it past finals. After that audition, I auditioned for the adult dance company of the studio I took classes at and I received three contracts from them and performed in their 3 shows of the season!
Feeling like I could do anything based on how hard I worked and how far I came, I auditioned for the same NBA dance team again the following year. Everyone was saying I should and they were all so excited for me to audition again. I was so excited for the opportunity and I even received a finals pass! I truly felt like my confidence/passion for dance was back and everyone around me kept saying that this was my year for the team. At the end of the audition process I ended up not making the team again. When I emailed the coach looking for a reason I basically got told to focus on myself.
In all honesty, I put so much hope and prayer into receiving the opportunity to dance for this team; when I did not get the audition I blamed God. I remember feeling so angry because I felt as if all my hard work and dedication was for nothing. I felt like my life no longer had purpose because I could have sworn God was leading me to be on that team that year. Little did I know, he was leading me to re-audition just not for the reasons I thought.
Just when I lost all my confidence in myself, God gave me a message that night. The message I received was that the only thing I was missing in my life was me.
Ever since high school, all of the things I pursued were based on what other people told me I should do. If someone else wanted something for me, I was convinced that it’s what I wanted for myself. With little guidance from my parents growing up, I was easily influenced by other people’s opinions on what my future should look like. I realized that I was only auditioning for that team because everyone else said I was perfect for it.
After that night, I went to Starbucks everyday to read my Bible to figure out more of what God might be doing in my life. After all He is the same God now as He was back then. Long story short, my passion for dance was reignited BUT this time I was dancing for God and nobody else. I continued at the same dance company and I even received contracts to work on an additional project/job with them as well. I found a new church to attend and met with their young adult group every week. Shortly after, I gave my life to Christ publicly by way of baptism. I got registered as a behavior technician, working at a job I love. I even got accepted to a new university and am able to continue my education with what God has planned for my life and not what the world said my life should be. The same rejection that I thought would be the end of my purpose was the same rejection that led me to having a real relationship with the Lord and be walking in God’s purpose for my life.