Dance Student Spotlight: Angelina

My name is Angelina, 15, from South Florida. I go to Dancers Training Spot.

@angelina.dancing

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.

I started dancing by taking ballet classes from around 3 years old. Within a couple years of starting ballet, I fell in love with gymnastics. I started by taking recreational classes here and there until I started to train to make it on the competition team. I made it on the team and started competing at age 10. Around the same time is when my dance team began.

Luckily, I was able to pursue both sports at the same time, because both my gymnastics and dance practices occurred in the same building. I would go from 3 or more hours of dance practice to running upstairs to start 3 hours of gymnastics practice. I loved both gymnastics and dance with all my heart and competed in both up until last year.

I have been struggling with back pain for years due to scoliosis. I was diagnosed with it around age 13. It severely impacted my performance in gymnastics and caused me to feel serious pain on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, I was able to find a great chiropractor to help me with my scoliosis and make my pain manageable enough for me to continue competing. I did however continue to feel pain to a lesser degree and even experienced some days of excruciating pain at the gym. Even though I worked hard to improve and keep myself successful in gymnastics, it continued to get harder for me with my back pain. I even experienced panic attacks and high anxiety levels while at practices.

During this time I continued to excel and improve in dance even with my scoliosis. I continued to fall in love with dance more and more over the years. I value the time I spent with my team and the great memories we made together. Dancing just came easier to me and became an outlet for me to relieve my stress and anxiety.

Last year is when my dance teachers decided to buy their own studio for our team instead of continuing at the building we were previously in. We needed a fresh start and it was time for some change. That’s when we started Dancers Training Spot.

Sadly, I couldn’t continue to compete in both gymnastics and dance due to the practice times. It came to a point where I had to decide which sport I wanted to continue to excel in, and which one to say goodbye to. It was very hard for me to come to my final decision, and I cried and cried about it for weeks. My parents and I came to the realization that gymnastics was only going to get harder for me with my back problems, but I could go way farther and even make a career out of dancing. Therefore, I decided to leave my gymnasium to continue competing in dance. I left behind the sport that I had grown to live for and love for the majority of my whole life. I had last competed in level 6 and was training for level 7 when I had to leave. I even had to say goodbye to my best friend who was on my gymnastics team. However, even though my journey as a gymnast had ended, a whole new adventure through dance had just begun.

Now I am happier than ever with my dance team. I just began my 5th competition season as a dancer and my 1st as Dancers Training Spot. My passion for dancing has grown so much and I put all my time and effort into it. Thankfully, I still get to visit my gymnasium every now and then to say hello to my old coaches and friends as well. Gymnastics will always hold a special place in my heart, but now I can give my all to dancing.

I am beyond grateful for my journey over the years and for just how far I’ve come as a dancer and a human being. I truly believe that dance is one of the most beautiful things in this world and I’m beyond happy and thankful to be a dancer every single day. From here on out I will continue to work hard to achieve my goals and my dreams as a dancer.❤️

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?

Not at all. As I explained in my story above, I do struggle with back pain and anxiety issues every so often. I do sometimes find it hard for me to achieve certain skills as a dancer with my back pain, and it does affect my mentality. However, I am working hard to stay positive and work through my pain as I continue to receive treatments at my chiropractor.

What personal limitations if any did you go through in your young career?

Dealing with my back pain, anxiety issues, and sometimes falling into a self-doubting and negative mindset/attitude towards my career.

Has anybody ever tried to limit you on what you could do? If so how did you fight it?

I’ve come across many people who limited me from reaching my goals in both gymnastics and dance. In gymnastics, it took a long time for me to be accepted into the competition team due to my height and age. Even though I wasn’t very tall and I was still very young at the time, my coach valued younger and shorter girls on his team. It took him a lot of hard work and convincing for him to give me a shot. I still felt vulnerable and less appreciated than the other girls on occasion during my time at my gymnasium. I dealt with this by working hard on my own and even going to other gyms for seasonal camps to help me improve my skills by receiving full attention from different coaches.

On the other hand, my struggles in dancing were different. As a dancer, I feel and know that you have to be very graceful and expressive with your movements. Coming from being a strictly trained gymnast, it was harder for me to find this sense of gracefulness in my dancing. I feel that if anybody was dragging me down and preventing me from excelling, it was myself. This was because I would always compare myself to other girls on my team and doubt my potential as a dancer. I have learned to become much more graceful and agile in my dancing, and I am very proud of myself for how far I’ve come. I do also occasionally fight with comparing myself to others. But I have now learned that every dancer is different and beautiful in their own way.

How do you conquer negative talk?

You should not let other people’s thoughts and opinions about you stop you from achieving your goals. Whenever someone else tries to drag me down with negativity, I remind myself that the only person’s opinion about me that matters is my own. I have many people in my life that love and encourage my dancing. My amazing dance teachers and dance teammates support me and help me believe in myself as well. My family members are my biggest supporters, and they help me overcome negativity and stay true to my passion.

What is your favorite quote?

"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene

So, what’s next? Any big plans?

I have recently started modeling for different dance photographers and dancewear companies. I was just chosen as an ambassador for Sketchy Studios, and I can’t wait to work with them this year. I have to say if there is one main dream I have as a dancer, it is to use my ability to make it onto television/film. Of course, I am also looking forward to competing my 3rd solo this year and seeing where my dance career will take me in the coming years.