From Injured to Intern: A Dancer's Tale

Read about my injury story and what I'm doing to overcome it.

I'm Emma, the new TDA intern for 2019.  At the beginning of the year, I was signed up to be on TDA's competitive company, dancing about 11 hours a week in addition to dancing on the Newton North dance team. But things didn't go quite as I planned.  In early October, I tore my ACL and found out that I can't dance for the whole year.

When I found out the news, I was pretty devastated.  If you know me, you know that I love dance more than anything in the world.  While I knew that I would be okay, and that the pain wouldn’t last forever, I was still pretty heartbroken. I constantly twirl around my room or choreograph dances in my kitchen, so it was difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I wouldn’t get to do that for a while.  This year, I am definitely missing dance as a way to express myself. The studio was a place for me to get all of my feelings out on the dance floor and I miss that feeling a lot.

While I was pretty upset at first, I ultimately decided to make the most of my situation and continue to do the things that make me happy.  Even though I can't practice dances or stretch my splits, I still get to come to my favorite place (the studio of course!), see my favorite people, and help out from behind the scenes. This became the silver lining from my injury and now I will get to experience new things that I never would have had the chance to.

     As the TDA intern this year, I am hoping to gain a new understanding of what it takes to run a place that is dear to my heart!  We never think about how much our teachers do when they’re not in the studio and it’s exciting to see a little part of that. I’m also learning tons of new skills that I will be able to use for the rest of my life.  When I get back to the stage next year, I will definitely have a new appreciation for my body and how special it is to be able to do what we do!

Although it's okay to be sad about an unexpected situation, it's important to find the bright side and make the most of what you're able to do. I look forward to continuing to discover dance from a new, (more sedentary) perspective this year!

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Author

Emma Schwartz is a Sophmore at Newton North Highschool and the intern at TDA.  She loves assisting combo classes and spending time with her dance friends!