Dancers’ Decisions: Quitting Dance to Study
By Ava Karas
On occasion, some upper-level dancers feel the need to quit or take a break from dancing in order to focus more on their studies. It is completely understandable that you feel the need to improve your grades.
However, dancing is an outlet for your stresses that you encounter in everyday life. With each stretch of a tendu, you forget about the fight you had with your friend, with each cambré, your worries about the test you have the next day melt away, with each grand battement, you stop focusing on the nagging pimple you have on your forehead. Dance is a form of exercise that not only keeps you in shape but gives off endorphins, hormones that make us feel happier.
Going off of the health note, exercise promotes longevity. Getting your daily dose of dance could keep you alive to see world peace. A 5 on an AP Chemistry Test will not.
Quitting or taking a break from an activity that you do regularly will not instill discipline. If anything, it will skew the time management balance that you have worked so hard to achieve and encourage procrastination, as you will have more extra time than you are accustomed to.
Lastly and most importantly, you come to dance class because you love it. You have built a community with a network of friends who offer a solid support system. It would be a shame to loose that, especially if you are going through difficult times at school. Your colleagues may have already passed the course that you are struggling with, and could help you!
With that being said, keep chiseling away. Everyone goes through his or her rough patches. While you may be struggling at school, you have to remember that this is the only life you have, and you should enjoy it doing the things you genuinely love to do.