Burningham 1

Megan Burningham
English 1010 (Section 8)
Mrs. Burr
February 20, 2016
Observation Essay
At first, there is no one. Not a single soul is present in this cold and empty parking strip. I
look around, staring at the abandoned, straight fields of blacktop, their yellow, white, and blue
lines mixing until they all become one color. The pavement peers back at me, a hollow, glacial
stare meets my own. I look closely back at it, studying its surface as if it is alive. The colored
lines, marking sections for cars and their occupants, almost remind me of highlights in hair. I
look closer. cracks are numerous in this slab of pavement. Some are small, almost miniscule.
Others are looming gorges for ants to march through. Some cracks so large they had caused
damage, are filled in, as if to protect the absent vehicles and their passengers from crashing down
into the depths of the Earth. All these fissures are much like wrinkles on a face. Many are from
lifes joys, while others, hopefully many less, are from lifes struggles and struggles. I stare
closer. The stark contrast of my cars light pigment against the deep black of the asphalt. I peer
closer still, looking at the small growth beginning to develop in the wrinkles of the road. And
suddenly, our staring contest is interrupted. I jolt up, stare out of my window, and gaze at the
numerous amount of cars that are abruptly coming forth. I look down with annoyance at the
blacktop, regretting the interruption of engines and wheels.
As I turn towards my windshield, I fix my eyes upon the sign hung high above my car. C
& C Ballet Academy, the sign reads. I turn to the passenger side, grabbing the dance bag I have
carefully packed with tights, colored leotards, vibrant tanks and pants, as well as all of my many

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assorted dance shoes. I get out of the car and join the throng of dancers cascading out of the
many cars and into the building that is our home away from home.
As I walk through the doors, I am overcome with the inextinguishable love I have for
dance. It is not just the idea of dance that enthralls me and overtakes me every time I am here;
but my love for my teachers, fellow dancers, and the beautiful art of dance that I have been
given.
We start ballet. As we begin the plie at barre, I can feel my muscles stretching.
Throughout tendus and degages, I feel my feet pushing through the fifth and into the motion
and technique of tendus and degages. By the time rond de jambes and developpes come, sweat
is dripping down our faces, showing the strength, determination, and our hard work at this fine
and difficult art we call ballet. Ballet requires more strength than football players, more grace
than a deer plodding slowly through the forest floor, and more perseverance than the average
human being.
As barre ends, we begin center. I am aware of my whole body. Every muscle must oppose
another, working as opposites to come together in one movement. Shifting my balance as I raise
my leg a la seconde. Keeping my weight on the ball of my foot, I rond de jambe to arabesque.
Reaching my fingers out, I control my body down into a penche, bringing my leg up into the air
as my upper body goes down. Coming up, my muscles fight to be controlled, to stay on balance.
My leg bends into an attitude. Together, we all releve, bring our feet into the sous-sus, and finish
the exercise as one.
Throughout the rest of class, I observe the other dancers carefully, watching their every
move for something that I can improve in myself. I critique them in my head, thinking of things
that I can do better upon myself.

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We continue to dance, gliding and sliding through steps and movements, shifting and
lifting our bodies into and through positions some would say are impossible. But we do it. We do
it because we love dance. We love the art. We love the way one can tell a story through gestures,
movement, and grace.
Ballet is the language of the mind, body, and soul; a way to express ones emotions,
feelings, and passions without words-only actions and expressions. Sliding, gliding, shifting,
lifting, romancing, dancing. These are the ways of a ballerina. Ballet is a beautiful fixation.
Ballet tells a story, a story with no words; only dancing. Coppelia, La Bayadere, the Nutcracker,
Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, La Sylphide.
These are stories of love and betrayal, fate and vengeance, battles and triumph over evil. All are
told with dance, expression, and action. I am a ballerina, and I love ballet.
There are so many genres of dance: Modern, Hip-hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Character,
Ballet. All of them have small and simple steps that combine to form harder technique,
eventually combining to create a masterpiece of a dance. All of these small bits are like the
pieces to a puzzle. They may seem small at first, but when they are put together, they form the
big picture.
The big picture is what is seen when the piece is performed. Not the months of
class, the weeks of practicing, the days spent working the dance to perfection, nor the hours
spent agonizing over it, but only a few precious minutes of what has taken months, possibly
years to prepare for, is seen. The result is so small in comparison to all the work that is put into
the dance. But it is always worth it.
Natalia Makarova, a Russian-born prima ballerina, once said Dancers, many dancers
today can do so much technically. You can give them steps that are complicated, then more

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complicated, pyrotechnical - and they can execute these steps to perfection. But to do simple
steps with a pure classical line, that is truly difficult (Natalia). This is what dance is about -- to
strive to be your best, to do your best, and to be the best dancer that you can be.
As I finish a petite allegro across the floor, I realize that being a dancer is one of the best
things in the world. Ballet is a beautiful creation that was developed. I love it! Its my passion;
my interest; Ill even go so far as to say that it is my soul. Without it, I am nothing. I did not
choose dance, it chose me! It is a spectacular art that I adore and love! Some say it is a sport; it is
not. It is an art that you perfect beyond the capability of perfection. It is the most energizing,
lovely, joyous and an unforgettable experience I think I will ever have in my life.
As I leave, I glance back at my home away from home, and wish to linger just a little
longer. Ballet is what Ive prepared for my whole life. My whole life revolves around it. It is
what I will take with me as my most treasured possession when I die-doing pirouettes and pas de
chats in the clouds. Dancing my life away. I will be forever dancing in the clouds, on cloud nine,
stirring up the moisture in the air with small and simple steps, complex and complicated steps-all
creating my lifes story. However, the real world is calling me back, out of my love and joy for
this wonderful thing that I call dance.

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Works Cited
"Natalia Makarova Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.