First Position

      First Position was a very interesting documentary. I had somewhat of an idea of how hard dancers trained, but I always picture people around 18 to their mid 20's training that hard. It is amazing how hard kids train and how young they are when they start such intensive training. Although all of the kids in the film trained hard and were determined, I thought Michaela was one of the most determined.
     Her story was very inspiring and her dream of becoming a dancer came from the picture on a magazine she saw in an orphanage. Not only did Michaela have to undergo the difficulties of a hard childhood, but inside the dance world she had to beat the stereotypes of dancers. Most ballet dancers are Caucasian and have thin builds, where as black dancers stereotypically have more muscular physiques. On top of fighting stereotypes Michaela also had an injury. "My teachers know I won't stop, even if I'm injured." That just showed the determination that she had to follow this dream of getting a scholarship and then someday bringing ballet to orphans in Sierra Leone. Luckily she had the support of her family and teachers.
      I have always had respect for dancers but this opened my eyes even more and showed just how hard they really work. These kids train like professional athletes in order to fulfill a dream that is nearly impossible to reach due to the competitiveness. I have trained hard for different sports but I can honestly say that even as hard as I have worked on my personal goals, I have not even come close to working as hard as the people in the film do. These kids are so focused on reaching their dreams and to see that is very inspiring.