Levin 1

Caylin Levin
ENC 1101-0001
9/29/14
Final Draft
Passion Makes Perfect
Passion is something that comes with a lot of hard work, dedication, and the occasional
blood and tears. But when we feel as if all that effort was for nothing, we have to look back and
see how this literacy has shaped us to the people we are today, even through the hardships and
struggles. This passion of mine is dancing. I have been dancing for fifteen years and I wouldnt
change for anything, but when I came to college my love for dance came to a halt. Never in a
million years would I of ever of imagined a day without getting ready for dance with my leotard
and tights, and my hair in a slicked back into a bun. Currently I am not dancing due to the fact
that I didnt make the Knights Moves Dance Team at the University of Central Florida. If I could
afford to take classes somewhere off campus and if I had a car I would, but since neither of those
options are available to me at this time it is very difficult to do what I love. Instead, to cope with
this situation, I tried out for the UCF Rowing Team and surprisingly made it. I came to realize
that because of dance I need to have that healthy competition on the daily and I need to be apart
of a team. Now all my time and efforts are put into this sport, waking up at five in the morning
everyday and practicing until our hands bleed, its actually very enjoyable believe it or not.
Although, if I didnt dance all my life, I know for a fact, I wouldnt be on this remarkable team
with a lovely group of girls. Dancing has made me so diverse as a person, without it I wouldnt
be as competitive as I am, I wouldnt be as determined as I am, and I most definitely wouldnt be
as athletic as I am.

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It all started at the age of three when my mom decided she wanted her baby girl to go to
dance class, never did she know I was going to stick with it and enjoy sucking every penny out
of her pockets. I went to a studio called Dance Unlimited, where I would spend the next twelve
years of my life. My first class was that typical chaotic ballet class full of three year olds crying
and screaming for an hour while the teacher attempted to keep things organized. My first dance
piece I preformed was to the song Im a Little Tea Pot. We were dressed in these mini blue
tutus and we all looked so adorable. All I remember was standing in the front pushing everyone
out of my way to make sure I got the spot light and that all eyes were on me. I was that girl who
remembered the choreography, and was also very arrogant about it. Ever since I always wanted
to be front and center and show off my memory skills, well because, lets face it, I was terrible!
My parents also thought I was the cutest thing ever and wanted to see me be happy, so they
encouraged me to keep dancing.
This cutesy act played out for a couple more years, we would learn a dance or two and
would preform it at our annual recital, but around the age of eight things got more intense. My
studio had a competition team that I always dreamt of being apart of, but because of my families
finical situation I was never able to try out. However, by 2004 I was capable of auditioning.
Luckily I made it and I was beyond excited to compete! Competitions were tougher then I could
of ever imagined. We had multiple dances to remember and a lot of people, including ourselves,
to impress. Without competitions I wouldnt of improved as a dancer as much, nor as quickly. I
not only learned how to be extremely competitive but also a good sport. The goals and standards
were to always get a platinum (the highest ranking award) and to place in the top ten. That flimsy
trophy or tiny medal may not of meant much to a random bystander, but to us it meant the world.

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The next year I met my role model. She has literally shaped me up into the person I am
today. She not only believed in me, and my potentiality, but she was the most difficult, as well
as, caring teacher I have ever encountered. Mrs. Shelia Wood till this day is one most influential
people in my life. When someone believes in you and encourages you to try things because they
know youll do well is someone I hope everyone has encountered. It is the best sensation to feel
important and she allowed me to break out of my shell and figure out what kind of dancer I was.
She never let anyone say that they cant do something; it was as if that word was so vulgar that
it offended her. If we did mistakenly say cant she would make us do push-ups and sit-ups and
just so much cardio till we practically threw up. That gave me the attitude I have now towards
things I feel that are impossible, you can always try harder and you can always do more then you
think you can. Mrs. Shelia caused me to love dance even more. She made me the strongest
dancer all around and never gave up on me. For middle school she choreographed a short solo so
I could try out for a preforming arts school called Bak Middle School of the Arts. I made it in
and I had the time of my life dancing for two hours in school and dancing three to four hours at
my studio everyday. It felt as if I had an addiction to dance. I always had to be dancing and still
of course showing off; that part never changed.
During middle school I started a genre of ballet called pointe. Its practically standing on
your tippy toes where you slide your foot into something that feels like a brick. It was so hard
and all the girls looked extremely awkward. But once we got the basic action of the movement
and style it was exciting. At this point everyone at my age, including me, wanted to become a
profession ballerina. We felt like we had crossed such a huge milestone and could conquer the
dance world. That phase passed and I checked back into reality because to a professional dancer

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you have to perfect feet, the perfect body, the perfect height, the perfect weight, and so on. All
those requirements are just too stressful for middle schoolers.
Going into high school I switched studios and went to a place called School of Ballet
Arts. It is a strict ballet studio were we had an hour ballet class and then a two-hour pointe class
every weekday and Saturdays. We preformed around two hour full-length ballets instead of
annual recitals. For example we did performances like Coppelia, Nutcracker, Dracula, Don
Quixote, and more, there was never a dull moment. Ms. Deborah Marquez was my director and
teacher and just a huge encouragement. She taught me more ballet technique then I knew was
possible. She made me not only a better dancer but also a more motivated one, and that attitude
stays with you in life. I learned self discipline and was able to take hard combinations and work
on them on my own just for fun to better myself. With Ms. Deborah you knew if you werent
sweating after the first combination you were doing it wrong. Ballet is extremely hard and not
many people understand that.
I had many opportunities in high school to do multiple things other than just dance. So I
took them upon myself and did a sport every season for 4 years! I started off with cheerleading,
and with my dancing background it was extremely easy to catch on. Then I played soccer, and
then I played flag football and was captain for each. From dance I knew how to lead a team to
victory. I love sports and winning and just simply being a team doing the best I can! I was and
still am one of the strongest dancers on all my teams because of how determined I was to make
myself tougher then everyone else with not only dancing but with all the sports I play. To be a
successful dancer you have to work with others just like sports and dancing is a team sport
believe it or not.

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Everyone has that one thing that makes him or her different and looking back on my
journey with growing up in the dance world it has made me come to realize that dancing is what
made me unlike anyone else. Passion is not something that just hits you; you get to a point in
your life where you dont know what to do in life if you arent doing this one thing, you feel as if
your world is ending because you believe, just for a split moment, that just because someone told
you no you have to stop. Although I dont go to a studio I will never stop dancing. Everything
happens for a reason! Now that I am on Rowing Im happy with creating new experiences and
finding a way to handle not dancing. Whatever I put all my effort into I tend to love it. I will
never lose my passion for dance because it always fills me with joy. I wouldnt be where I am
today without my dance teachers or parents. They mean the world to me and have given me a
new outlook on life. They didnt just teach me how to dance they taught me how to live.