Exploration Four - Cheeseman

I thought that the documentary was nice. It definitely fit with the class themes quite well. Each dancer held on to their dream of becoming a professional despite whatever hardships they faced throughout their journey. Some were pushed towards dancing by their parents and others decided on their own through some other inspiration, but most families seemed very supportive. Especially Aran's family who moved all around the world and his father did a tour in Kuwait just so that he could keep dancing. I think that Joan was the most inspirational story because he came from nothing and really put himself out there in his attempt to achieve his goal of becoming a professional. He took a huge risk in moving all around the world.

I was really surprised by how far they traveled and how much money they spent on their training. The dancers faced a lot of physical challenges. Michaela (I don't really remember how here name is spelled) had quite a bit of trouble with her feet. Each dancer basically deforms their feet so that it is the correct shape for dancing. The foot bender that Aran showed in the beginning was pretty nuts. I wouldn't do that. They are also challenged by fear, fear of going on stage.

They received quite a bit of help from their parents, though Joan's mother didn't seem like she really wanted him to be living so far away. But all in all I think that everyone had very supportive families. At first I thought that Aran was just a little punk kid who didn't really care about dancing that much, maybe it was his attitude at first, but after watching the documentary all of the way through I saw that he is really determined to be a professional and enjoys it very much. Other than that I don't believe that I had any change in perception of the different dancers.

I think that we can learn from the documentary. No matter how old you are and what state your life is in (Joan) you can pursue your dream and make it possible. Joan even says "Finally, my dream, my life's gonna change." Also, hard work pays off. I think that definitely showed in the end.