Today we began learning an excerpt from BalletX’s Frequencies, choreographed by Matthew Neenan. The very first thing we do is run on in a straight line, and after watching us do this once, Tara Keating made a correction to relax and run more casually. When we ran in again it was certainly less upright and stiff, but still far from the run you would see from someone on the soccer field or on the treadmill at the gym.  I cannot say how many times I’ve heard “you walk like a dancer” or “you run like a ballerina,” and my response is always “I can’t help it.” It’s true, I’ve tried to walk with my feet parallel like you’re supposed to, but I always go back to my turned out ways, there’s simply no way around it. This just proves how much a part of me, and all of us for that matter, ballet truly is. Not only does it define how I spend my time, but it defines the little things in my life as well, from how long I have to keep my hair (so I can still put it in a bun), to what makes up my christmas list (always leotards), right down to the way I walk and run. The constant reminder from others doesn’t bother me though. I don’t mind that they can identify me as a dancer before I tell them I am one. It’s who I am, and who I want to be.

- Emma Yasick, Brandywine Ballet dancer & blogger