Magnificat Dossou-Togbe, Year 12

I have always admired dancers. Their ability to move, not only with coordination, but with such effortless grace and elegance fascinated me. Despite this persistent interest, my fear of embarrassment and failure kept dancing at arm’s length.

My interest in dance was firstborn from the fantasy world of cartoons, but it quickly became something deeper. It made me wonder what it would feel like to have the ability to move with that same control and regalness. Ballet resonated with me the most because the movements felt more mathematical, something that appealed to my logic-centered way of thinking.

When a dance club opened at school, it felt like my opportunity to finally explore this hobby but my lack of coordination and self-doubt initially convinced me to stay away. I have never naturally gravitated towards movement-centered activities, particularly creative ones. So my curiosity about dance often felt out of place, and following through on that interest was even further out of my comfort zone. It was only after being encouraged to join that I decided that it was worth trying to avoid any regrets later. Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for that small push.

My first session was fun. Being around other people who shared this same passion was inspiring but, being so new at something and having so much to learn and improve was intimidating, challenging and scary. Performing was even more stressful, and nerve-wracking; however, putting aside my fear proved worthwhile, especially for all the experiences that it brought along and the pride in my parents’ eyes when they saw me dancing.

I am by no means an excellent dancer now, I still struggle with coordination and rhythm and I wish I had discovered this earlier in my time at school but, it's an experience that I will never forget. Nevertheless, it taught me that I shouldn't let fear cloud my judgement. Even if we won't be perfect or even good at first, there is beauty in trying and improving, one step at a time. I hope to have the opportunity to continue dancing wherever my university journey takes me.