“5, 6, 7, 8…” I landed my triple pirouette perfectly. Finally, I thought with a sigh of relief. I had been practicing this routine for hours or for what felt like hours. I did it again, just to make sure I had it. I fell out of the turn. “Really, Taylor?!” Frustrated, I sat down and took a break. I can do this. I attempted the routine a few more times until I could consistently perform the turn well.
From the age of 5 to 16, ballet was a major part of my life. In fact, it was almost everything. After school, of course. (Nerd alert.)
But in all seriousness, dance began to consume my time at an early age. However, I am thankful for the opportunity to experience a life of dance for several reasons.
Practice.
“Eat, sleep, dance” became my motto…after “practice makes perfect.” My team practiced from morning to night, six days a week for competitions. (Like Dance Moms.) If you weren’t in sync with everyone else by the week before the competition, you would be cut from the routine. Most of the time you had to audition for the routine before these practice sessions. When you were at home, teachers expected you to be practicing and come back to the studio more prepared than when you left. This habit of perfecting routines through repetition led me later to build a habit of practicing for other performances. Performances that include but are not limited to the problem solving in organic chemistry and other science/math courses, enhancing my writing skills, and soon, the MCAT.
Confidence.
If you’re not confident in your ability, you might as well not even try. Having a positive mindset is vital to performing, because you will most definitely end up on your face without it. Instructors and judges know when a dancer is not confident. It can be seen in your facial expression, posture, and movements. An interviewer will pick up on the same gestures. Holding onto negative thoughts will only prevent you from reaching further in your career.
Patience.
I have come to the realization that patience is a key to both dance and medicine. I have been out of school for 2 years now, while most people would attend medical school right after college. I knew that this journey would be long, but I also knew this wasn’t the first time I had to execute great patience. The technique displayed on the stage isn’t learned overnight. It takes years to gain the strength, balance, and flexibility of a dancer. You don’t suddenly know how to stand on the tips of your toes after a few classes. At a young age, you begin to build that strength not just in your toes, but throughout your entire body. To perform those turns and jumps, you need to be well-balanced and aware of your surroundings. One of our main goals while performing grand jetés was to appear as if we were doing a split mid-air, as if the floor was invisible and our legs were at a complete 180° angle or greater (if you were more advanced). At 5 years old, I performed little exercises that helped me reach these goals, such as “making a pizza,” which was really just getting a bunch of little kids to stretch and increase our flexibility. Or pretending to walk over a narrow bridge to practice maintaining balance. These “Mr. Miyagi”-like exercises prepared me for the routines I performed later on competition stages, just as my college/grad school courses, clinical experience, volunteering, etc. have prepared me for my final performance as a physician.
Improvise.
“If you mess up or forget your routine, don’t just stand there! Improvise!” Never stop moving when you mess up. I learned that early in my competition years. The judges will definitely notice if you forget your routine and stand there. But who would notice if you forgot your routine but came up with something else? Maybe you were supposed to do a pas de chat and then step into an arabesque but somehow you end up doing a triple pirouette and landing a grand jeté instead. Would the judge notice? No. In my medical journey, I have had to improvise several times. My last years in undergrad didn’t go as planned. Improvised. My post-bacc didn’t go as well as I wanted. Improvised. As long as you don’t stop, no one can hold it against you. One of my favorite quotes is “Small steps are still steps.” They are still steps toward your future. Even if you take a step back, take two steps forward. It’s okay if you stand there a little, as long as you complete your routine with a grand finale, you’ll catch someone’s eye.
Team.
Dancing on a competition team definitely built my collaboration skills. I had to learn how to be in sync and portray certain messages (to our audience) with my team members. I learned to work with people who didn’t care for me too much. I learned how to handle bullying and how to create friendships on the same team. If one person on the stage was off, the whole routine was ruined. I had to utilize those same skills as a scribe in the emergency department. I worked with nurses, PAs, and physicians. We were all on a team that had the common goal of providing excellent healthcare to patients. If one person was missing from this team or “messed up,” the routine didn’t run as smoothly as usual or didn’t run at all.
Determination.
Throughout my time as a ballerina, I learned to keep practicing until every jump, leap, step was nearly perfect. As a pre-med student, I’ve learned to continue on after a bad grade, rejections, etc. After 6 years, nothing has stopped me. I’ve never been the person to just give up. I would practice 100 times if that’s what it took to nail a dance routine. I will do the same for the MCAT, a medical school interview, anything it takes. When you a have a goal set in your mind, nothing should stop you from reaching it if that’s your passion. Ballet was once a passion for me. I have since retired that passion and moved onto medicine with the same determination. Perseverance is important while pursuing a medical degree, because in the end, you are the only person who will can push yourself past the finish line.
Finale.
Ballet has helped me build so many skills that I have used to reach where I am now. It will continue to have a place in my heart, though medicine has taken over. I feel dance has undeniably played a role in my drive and desire for a career in medicine. Dance has taught me how to work in a team setting, always have a back-up plan, persevere through mistakes, always be patient, believe in myself, and practice, practice, practice. In conclusion, I believe that dance will make me an excellent doctor with many different skills and techniques to treat my future patients.
Of course, I had to add a Misty Copeland gif. ❤
A special thanks to my older sister and my mother for introducing me and my younger sister to the world of dance. How have any current or past hobbies helped you reach your goals? How have they or how will make you a better healthcare provider? Comment your thoughts below. And remember,
Thanks for visiting my blog! Be sure to check out my other posts. More to come soon! Until then be kind and remember tomorrow depends on what you do today. Hope you enjoyed reading! — Taylor ❤
#blackgirlmedicine #school #predentalstudents #blackgirlmagic #africanamericanstudent #student #Premed #ballet #blackblog #medstudent #medicalschool #predentalstudents #medicalstudent #blackgirlmagic #blackgirlmedicine #studentlife #dancer #doctor #blackstudents #africanamerican #premedicalstudents #gradschool #motivation #premedicalstudents #dance #blackblogger #university #graduatestudent #medical #premedstudents #blackexcellence #gradstudent #Medicine #physician #collegestudent #college #med
Comments