10 Signs You Grew Up As A Dancer

Growing up as a dancer not only means countless hours of practice and painfully blistered feet; but most importantly, it makes you who you are.

Remember when you were a toddler and your instructor handed you your first tutu and you cried a little bit because it was just as beautiful as you imagined; but the tool lining around your waist was more painfully itchy than you thought it would be? Well, this is right up there with ten signs you grew up a dancer because grand jetes aren’t the only thing that have us hyped up.

1. You countdown the days until the next season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Sitting, watching, dreaming about your audition when Mary Murphy screams you’re on the “Hot Tamale Train.” If you didn’t say the intro in Cat Deeley’s iconic British accent, are you really a true sytycd fan? Lowkey crushing on Travis Wall and crying or screaming because Ricky Ubeda is your religion. All of this, makes this show, THE show for you, tiny dancer.

2. You actually enjoy popping your blisters or comparing ingrown toenails with your dance pals.

Oh yeah. Popping a nice, juicy, blister can be more than satisfying, especially if its right on your second to big toe where you need to place your balance in your pointe shoes. Your toes are like a science project, poking and prodding at all the little bruises; nails growing where they shouldn’t be and having contests for the grossest feet. If you won this contest you were by far the hardest worker in class, so it was a big achievement.

3. You crack your hips on a daily basis and it freaks your friends out.

Whether it’s by tilting or squatting, a hip crack is one of the most satisfying feelings. A cracked hip equals a happy dancer. Sure, the sound is weird and the movement might look strange, but never deny that it feels pretty dang good. Don’t knock it until you try it.

4. You can’t sit still when songs come on because you’re FEELING IT.

In the club, the car, your bedroom, at the gym; when the music is playing, you’re dancing. You can’t hold back when the beat kicks in because since you were a toddler in a tutu, the music flows through your veins making it nearly impossible to sit still.

5. A song you did a dance to comes on in the club and you try to do the choreo and none of your friends are having it.

Whether it’s “Single Ladies” or “Toxic,” if the song comes on at the club you’re #triggered. Time for some throwback choreo. Break out your best moves and show all your friends that you can down even harder than they can, no matter what weird looks you get. Next time, maybe go out with your dance pals so you guys can kill it together.

6. If your feet are off the ground, they are pointed.

Ever sit in a chair where your legs are slightly off the ground? Well, if you have I bet your feet are pointed. Not because you are trying to impress anybody by sitting all fancy, but because after years of being yelled at to keep your feet pointed you just do it naturally.

7. You don’t squat, you plie.

You grew up in the ballet world, so your workouts are a little more elegant than most.

8. You walk with your feet turned out.

All those years of turning out your toes in ballet class left a permanent impact on your feet. Having to constantly remember to walk with your feet forward, so just channel your turn out. Sure, it may cause back and hip problems in your future, but sometimes you just have to do what comes naturally.

9. You choreograph entire dances in your head to songs on the radio.

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You can’t help but imagine entire routines when that good song comes on the radio. From the turn sequences to the floor work or the tricks that you could definitely only do in your head, you have it all planned out step by step in a span of 4 minutes.

10. You go through phases: some days you HATE it, but most days you absolutely LOVE it.

Dance can be exhausting. Sometimes you just want to hang up your pointe shoes and call it quits. But other times you remember all the times dance was there for you when you had a bad day and needed to just let your emotions break free through movement; all the memories you made with your friends; and the adrenaline rush of performing on stage. All this makes the bruised toenails, endless rehearsals, and itchy costumes worthwhile.