Exploration 4-McCoy

The dancer that I picked form First Position, was Michaela. I was most impressed by her because of everything she has overcome to continue to live out her dream of becoming a a professional. Michaela acquired her vision of becoming a ballet dancer by seeing a ballet magazine. After seeing that she has always wanted to become a ballet dancer. The one thing that surprised me the most about her individual journey was where she came from. I thought it was such an accomplishment to grow up in such a rough area of Africa, to then become the amazing dancer she is today. This says a lot about her commitment and drive she has to live out her dream. Some of the challenges she faces is the skin disease she has, that gives her a spotted skin in certain areas. Another couple of challenges are injuries and the unreal level of competition she faces. In the movie she hurts her Achilles tendon and it could have prevented her from competing in the final competition. But she said, "I won't stop. Even if I'm injured, even if I'm sick, I still dance." Seeing and listening to how dedicated she is to the sport of ballet definitely has to inspire many other athletes in the dance industry. Michaela receives a lot of support from her sister, mother and ballet coach. She has had many struggles and losses in her lifetime, but these three people help her cope and get through the tough times. My perceptions of dancers have definitely changed. I had no idea what all they went through to be as good as they are. Just seeing how hard they worked and pushed themselves to be the best was inspiring.The amount of athleticism that they have to have to do all of the different dance moves is incredible. I wouldn't say I didn't respect dancers before, but I have a very high amount of respect for them now.