As the picture says, an autobiography is a piece of literature that you write relating your story. I decided to write an excerpt of an autobiography because the novel, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (which I wrote about in an earlier post), is written as one. Even though it is historical fiction, there are many facts and events that are real like the Freedom Riders, Martin Luther King Jr., the segregation laws, and slavery. I like the idea of writing an autobiography because it's my reality.
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The Dancer
I've been dancing since I was two years old (probably earlier), so many say that it's a gift passed down from my mother's side of the family: the Rios part of me. I was put on a dance academy named Dancing Dance Studio and I must say: I was really good. I went to dance camps there and I would shine on all the classes that they had. I remember that, in one recital, I had to go up front on the stage and, from standing position, go down in s split. With this move, came the loud sound of standing ovation.
Soon, I started taking classes with the older girls, me being the youngest. In my first jazz class with them, the director of the academy saw me dancing and shouted from the doorframe: "Que perris!", meaning that I was dancing really good and maybe a bit sexy. I was also taking pointe class, which is ballet but with ballet slippers that had wood on their points. It was hard at the beginning, but then I was getting the hang of it.
That's when mom and I got the idea of me auditioning for a school specialized in ballet called Julian Blanco. I was nervous because even though I wanted to stay in my school, I was really looking forward to being admitted. When I was auditioning I felt strong, confident, flexible. I had done it! I did everything perfectly. Then it was time: time to hear that "yes" I knew I would get. As my number got nearer, I grew anxious. And then, in a blink of an eye, they passed my number. Quickly, I gathered my things and, as I exited, a girl looked at me as if asking why was I leaving. Yet, I had to leave the room. I told my mother that I didn't pass the audition and went to the bathroom, where I shed a few tears. A woman entered the bathroom and asked us if I made it. When we replied, she asked annoyed that why not. "You were one of the best ones. You even did it better than the model student". I really wanted to believe her, but I was really sad.
So after that, I was dancing less and less until I stopped going because I would soon start seventh grade. Now, I didn't hate dancing, but I stopped. Nevertheless, that didn't last because they did Talent Shows at my school. That year, we would be imitating Ke$ha and do a "Toy Story" themed- dance. While practicing, I went back to my "old ways" and quickly earned the interest of the choreographers. When the competition neared, the choreographers did drastic changes: instead of playing Bo Beep, I would be Barbie (one of the most important roles in the dance) and, instead of doing Ke$ha, we would be doing Jennifer Lopez. But who would imitate JLO? Another girl... and me. While she got the parts in which she would look like she was singing, I got the parts in which there was a lot of dancing. We only won the "Toy Story" dance but I felt really happy and proud with myself for both dances. Needless to say, I kept participating on all the Talent Shows until my Senior Year.
But I'm getting ahead of myself: in ninth grade, I went to a ballet school called Ballets de San Juan. It was rough adjusting, but I kept practicing until I was back in ballet shape. Pretty soon after, I retook pointe class and contemporary dance, which focused more in the strength. I left that academy because once, the director was substituting my teacher and, after an exercise, she came to me and said: "We do not want girls with fat, ugly legs. We want girls with lean, pretty legs". Yes, she said this to me. Now, one may think that I would give up after this but I didn't. Instead, I was admitted at Escuela de Bellas Artes de Trujillo Alto and I've been attending it ever since. I've been working a lot so I can get to the highest level: company. There are moments in which I feel like giving up and yet, I don't. I look back at the hard path and think that I'm here for a reason.
All these years, I've become a better dancer and, whenever I dance, I feel like I transform into another person. When I dance, it's like transmitting energy and passion for the audience. To enchant the observers with moves as swift as ripples on a watery surface. Now I can say that I'm making peace with my body, which I blamed for many years. The curves and softness that aren't found in ballerinas but are countless on me. It's the body that lets me move with grace, power, and magic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFyqHMxWK_Y : the seventh grade Toy Story dance (look for Barbie!)
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| A girl's dream |
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