Being a dancer brings about an array of social stigmas. You have to be a certain type, you have to have a certain look and you have to be capable of certain things. Many worry, when watching dancers with years of experience, that they don’t belong in the world of dance.
“When you first walk into the studio and there are all those seniors walking around,” said Kethry Gerth, Human Physiology and Dance major. “You see what a dancer looks like, that’s when you start to worry that you don’t fit the same criteria.”
The problem with this worry, is not that it is invalid, but that it is illogical. Of course someone who has just started dancing won’t look the same as other dancers. Wouldn’t any other athlete need time to tone their body accordingly?
Dance is a place that is neither athleticism nor art, but a mixture of the two and then an amplified version of both. I say place and not thing, because miraculously, dance has created its own world.
“Dance finds you, you don’t find dance,” said dance major Constance Kell, quoting Martha Graham, “It was something that I grew up into. Once I found it, I found where I belong.”
Many people can find a sense of belonging in the world of dance, it is open to anyone who wants it and anyone willing to take it.
I have never been able to find an environment similar to the dance world since I first started dancing fifteen years ago. Everyone fits the title of dancer, no matter how different you might be from the person next to you. In those moments – if only for one – there are no boxes, there are no limits and there are no requirements.
“I equate it to sports,” Gerth said about how it feels to dance. “That feeling that you get when you win, that adrenaline high? I get that every time I dance. It is a gift. It is literally a privilege; every time you perform you feel humbled.”

Why do you think dancers curtsy and bow after they perform? It’s the only way to say thank you without words. When we dance we have a conversation, but words are never actually exchanged. Dancers put their entire identity and more into their performances and expose it to the world.
“Dance is the one thing in this world that truly allows me to be myself and progress and grow simultaneously,” said dance major Tatia Richmond. “Dance is a vessel for expression and understanding that not all people take advantage of.”
It’s a shame that people limit themselves because they think they don’t fit what it is to be a dancer. But a dancer has no description, a dancer is merely the person staring back at you in the mirror. Whether you’re athletic, physically disabled or merely tone deaf, you can still be a dancer.
Being a dancer is more than just putting on a pair of shoes, or having a particular body shape. Being a dancer is the opportunity to become an idea all on your own, and the best part, everyone’s ideas are never exactly the same.
I’ve been asked by many people what it means to me to be a dancer, but it is difficult to speak about something that can’t be explained simply in words, so I stumble through and do my best. The most important thing to remember is that dance will mean different things to different people.
“I think being a dancer means you are always approaching life from a different angle, perspective and understanding,” said Richmond.
Although National Dance Week has come to an end, I want you to go out and try dancing – especially if you’ve never done it before or have ever felt insecure from it. Get out there and try something new, because dance was made for everybody and that means you fit in the category.