True story: When I was a little girl, my mom made me take ballet lessons. My sister (who was four years older than me) excelled at it—and my mother hoped I would do the same. But despite the fact that I could dance to the beat of the music, I did not own the same gracefulness and physique needed to perform ballet. I would get conscious when people stared at me (I wore a cute pink ballet outfit that hugged my round body) as my pudgy legs attempted to reach for the barre (sad to say, others did it effortlessly). In the end, I remember giving my mother a call and begging her to let me take piano lessons instead. That officially marked the end of my ballet career.

During the years that followed, I would constantly watch my sister do stellar performances at her annual ballet recitals, and later on, with her high school dance troupe. I would be in awe of her whenever she performed onstage because of her pure passion for the art, her boundless energy, and her natural talent.

To this day, I am impressed by people who dance for a living and commit to this unique and often times low-paying occupation. I find myself drawn to dance movies and TV shows that expose what goes on behind the curtains, such as this new summer reality show by CW called Breaking Pointe. It’s only on its second episode, but I’m already invested in the lives of these ballerinas from Ballet West.

Some days, I still wish I had learned ballet. But most days, I’m just glad I’ve accepted my limitations and moved on to something new.

Mimi