Dancing Queen

My name is Gabbie. Since I could walk, I have always been a very energetic baby and toddler, so my parents decided to put me into a gymnastics and dance class at the age of two. My parents soon realized that gymnastics was not a good idea for me, when they saw me trying to climb our living room chandelier. Stopping gymnastics meant that dance was my main source of releasing energy. Who knew at the time what putting me into one tap class and one ballet class could do.

As I grew up, more hours in the studio were spent. At the age of eight, I was in the studio six hours a week and by the age of ten (and a new studio), I was dancing close to ten to twelve hours a week. That is when I started competing. Long weekends were spent at competitions. Going from Friday at 3pm to Sunday at 11pm. I would say at the age of twelve, I finally realized that I had a big passion for dance and that it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. That meant more hours in the studio and finally doing a solo at competition. I still remember the day I decided to do a solo. It was at our annual recital and before the show, I was awarded a scholarship. I knew at that moment that my studio and teachers saw something in me that, at the time, I didn't see in myself.

Sometimes with dancers, because we use our bodies for everything and they are considered our "instruments", we often get hurt or have injuries. At the age of fourteen, I went through a tough hip injury that consisted of me finding out that I would not be able to dance for six weeks and had to go to physical therapy two times a week for those six weeks. Even with all that, it was not guaranteed that I would be completely healed by then. I had also learned that I have a hip deformity called hip dysplasia. This means that my ball and socket in my hip are more prone to popping out of the socket if I overuse my hip or overstretch. Sitting out of class for those six weeks were the toughest time in my life. Watching your friends get to go to class, get stronger in technique, and have fun was one of the most gut wrenching feelings in the world. Eventually, those six weeks did pass and I got the all clear from my doctor to continue training.

Senior year! Four years has passed since my injury and a lot changed. I finished my dance career competing, but I did learn some lessons. I have decided not to continue dance as my main career because it wasn't the best option for my hips, but I do hope to continue on the dance team at High Point University. I decided to major in Broadcast Journalism because I found out that I have another passion for being on camera, making videos, and editing them. I cannot wait to start my new journey in life. Looking back at the past sixteen years of my life, closing this chapter is hard. I give the most credit of who I am as a person to dance. It has shaped me into the person I am today and made me find my passion in life. I cannot wait to see what my life has in store.