As a little girl Kelsey always knew she wanted to be a

dancer. She loved to dress up in costumes and dance around her living room. Her mom saw the passion in her little girl’s eyes and decided to put Kelsey in dance classes. Her drive and

dedication for dance has led her to this moment.

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Senior year is winding down, and for Kelsey that means her final

high school competition is drawing near. She has been

going to the dance studio after school everyday for the past

month to practice her last solo performance.

2

Kelsey is dancing a contemporary dance, and decided to dedicate it to her grandfather

who passed away a year ago. This is going to be one of the

most emotionally filled performances she has ever

danced.

3

Every night before bed, Kelsey listens to the song she is

dancing to on her iPod. As she listens, she runs through the

steps in her head. In her mind, every lyric is meshed with a beautiful flowing movement.

4

Any free time Kelsey had in her busy schedule was dedicated to

practicing her routine. Sometimes that meant she would practice when she was walking

to her next class.

5

The competition was less than a month away, and Kelsey was in the studio late one night getting a little extra practice. As she ran across the floor she leaped and landed incorrectly on her ankle.

6

As she laid on the ground holding her ankle, tears ran

down her cheeks. All she could think of was how she didn’t want to let her grandfather or herself

down. Even though at the time it seemed impossible, she told

herself that she was going to dance in her final

competition.

7

That night she iced her ankle hoping it would make the

swelling go down. The next few days she stayed home, rested,

and watched Step Up to get some dance motivation.

8

The next step was to get some strength and flexibility in her

ankle again. She decided to see the school’s sports trainer to get her ankle wrapped, and learn a few exercises that will help in

the healing process.

9

She also had her friend Kasey come to the studio for support,

and to help her mentally prepare for the show.

10

That night Kelsey fell asleep early and had a terrible

nightmare about her performance the next day. She

dreamt that she fell off the stage, and broke her leg so badly that she could never dance again.

11

Kelsey woke up from her nightmare early in the

morning. She had trouble falling back asleep so she decided

to get her dance bag and costume ready. She also got a

glass of water to clear her mind before falling back asleep.

12

That morning Kelsey woke up, and decided to eat a healthy

breakfast so that she was energized for the performance

later that night.

13

After breakfast, she stopped at the dance studio to walk through her routine one more time before

the show. She then went back to her room to get ready. She

applied make up and curled her hair.

14

Before the show started Kelsey was stretching backstage, and reviewing her dance moves in

her head.

15

Kelsey became nervous when she poked her head out from

behind the curtain, the lights were bright on her face and the crowd was large. She was also

worried because she hadn’t performed her full

routine since her injury.

16

The time came for her to take the stage. Before walking out to perform Kelsey said a little

prayer. Kelsey performed her routine flawlessly, and was able

to execute every move perfectly.

17

As Kelsey bowed and gave a final wave to the audience she knew in her heart that she made her

grandfather proud.

18

After the show, Kelsey found her family in the lobby. They were all so ecstatic that she made it through her final performance.They showered her with hugs

and a bouquet of flowers.

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Kelsey went on to study dance at Juilliard College in New York City. She received a full ride, and

continues to grow as a dancer everyday. She frequently looks back at her high school dancing days, and thinks how grateful

she was for all the love and support she received. Without

it, she would not have made it to this moment.

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