Everything I Needed to Learn in Life I Learned in Ballet Class Day 3: Never Give Up!

Today we are finishing up with my fourteen year old daughter’s inspirational speech she gave at a competition.  We are closing with her final point.  I can still remember her, just a tiny little girl, only three years old, slipping on her first pair of pink shoes.  I never knew the blessing she would be today and how she has grown and matured.  I feel blessed to be her mommy and grateful we found Ms. Kelly to train her not only in the things of ballet, but also in righteousness.  Here is what Danika writes:

Never Give Up

I want to encourage you to dance with me in this life. I don’t expect you to put on ballet shoes, but I encourage you to see dancing as an analogy for living.  Because all we really need to know about how to live for Jesus, we can learn in ballet class.

One of the most important sayings that I hear in my sleep is “Don’t ever give up!”  That means even though you are tired and worn out with nothing left to give, you still hold the position and SMILE!  Remember when I am on pointe the pain is invisible to you, but not to me.  I have lost a toenail, gained a bunion and have endure excruciating blisters and bruises.  But my love for dance has helped me endure through challenges! 

Described as a ballerina who defies the odds and never gave up, Misty Copeland is black.  She has the wrong body type, the wrong feet and too big a bust.  She was too old at 13 to start training for ballet.  Yet Misty never let the criticism get in her way, because she too loved ballet.  She kept on and today she is one of the most famous ballerinas and the first black principal dancer.  She never gave up! 

In the Bible, Paul encourages us to never give up either.  In 2 Peter 1:3, he says “God has given us everything we need for this life.”  How much of everything is everything?  EVERYTHING!   As Christians, we too must never give up and lose heart but rather keep trusting in Jesus and doing good.  Even if it hurts or is painful, we are encouraged to do this because we love Jesus.  I point out if I can stand on my toes with the joy of ballet. I know God gives me extra strength to endure, how much more we as Christian with the promise of glory to come and eternal life in heaven.  Stand with me and don’t give up!

Don’t forget while you are dancing that some day we will be standing at the foot of Jesus.  He will ask us “How did you live for me through your life? How did you show me through all you did?”  He will have seen your “spotting”, “your shine for him” and your “determination to never quit”.

In the words of Mercy Me,

“Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still

Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall

Will I sing Hallelujah will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine!” 

How do you “never give up” as you are dancing through your life?

Danika Young is fourteen years old and is the daughter of Bruce and Jeanna Young.  She is homeschooled and lives in Southern California. Not only is she a ballerina and a speech and debate enthusiast, she loves art, fashion and baking.  She placed in the finals and semi-finals in STOA speech competitions this year and hopes to continue competing next year.

Everything I Needed to Learn in Life I Learned in Ballet Class Day 2: "Shine Your Light"

We are continuing today with the thoughts of my fourteen year old daughter.  She wrote this speech for a competitive tournament, where she was able to wear her pointe shoes as the “prop” in her motivational speech category.  I love sharing this with all of you moms because where there are princesses, there inevitably are ballerinas.  They just seem to go hand in hand. So enjoy the perspective of this ballerina who has learned everything she needs to in this life in her ballet class! 

Shining through it all

All my life, I have heard “Point your feet! “Stay off your heels” “Get your eyes off the floor” “Smile” and “Dance beyond your bubble” and many more sayings my dance teachers drill in our heads.  In each saying, I see an analogy for life and living for Jesus.

Ms. Kelly, my dance instructor, says “Dance to the tips of your fingers and toes”.  What she means by this is to shine your light through your fingers and toes.  In other words, show your energy and shine your light to the world. 

As Christians, Jesus tells us to “Let your light so shine before me, that they may see your good works and glorify you Father which is in heaven”.  There was no better example of this than Amy Carmichael, missionary and poet.  In 1895, Amy Carmichael traveled to India to be a light to people there.  She preached the gospel and many girls came to the Lord.   She then saved the girls from the Hindu community by taking them in and making an orphanage. 

Have you ever read any of her books?   Well, in her latter years, she became bedridden for over twenty years, but that did not put out her light.  Here is a quote from one of her books: 

“If when I am able to discover something which has baffled others, I forget Him who revealeth the deep and secret things, and knoweth what is in the darkness and showeth it to us; if I forget that it was He who granted that ray of light to His most unworthy servant, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

She wrote 16 of the most influential and inspiring books of her time, influencing many to shine their lights – including Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, who were missionaries that sacrificed their lives in the jungles of Panama to spread the gospel of Christ. Both Amy Carmichael and the Elliots motivate me to shine my light in this world for God by “Dancing to the tips of my fingers and toes”!

So as you can see we all need a Ms. Kelly in our lives to teach us and inspire us to push through daily life to excel in the gifts that God has given us.  I want you to dance with me in this world.  I don’t expect you to really dance ballet with me, but I want to you to see dancing as an analogy for how we can live our lives for Christ.  

Danika Young is fourteen years old and is the daughter of Bruce and Jeanna Young.  She is homeschooled and lives in Southern California. Not only is she a ballerina and a speech and debate enthusiast, she loves art, fashion and baking.  She placed in the finals and semi-finals in STOA speech competitions this year and hopes to continue competing next year.

Everything I Needed to Learn in Life I Learned in Ballet Class Day 1: Spinning

As we enjoy spring, dance recitals approach and our princesses enjoy performing for all of us.  From young to old, tutus and tightly braided buns bring a smile to our face. Watching our girls glide across the stage with grace and poise is the result of months of practice.

I want to share with you a speech my daughter gave this year about dance.  How everything she needed to learn about living for Jesus, she learned in ballet class.  She is fourteen and an on pointe ballerina. I have taken her speech that she placed in the semi-finals in competition and broken it up over three days. I hope you enjoy her take on the art of dance and maybe think more about those ballet classes. Just imagine what they could be teaching your daughter. She challenged me and I hope you will be encouraged, too!

Keeping your Spot

Standing in the side wings, the butterflies fluttered in my stomach.  I was warmed up. I was nervous. I was excited.  As the curtain rose and the lights found their spot, I chasséd into position.  The familiar music set in motion the Party Scene and I was front and center on Pointe ready to perform.  I took a deep breath and placed a smile on my face.  The moment I had dreamed of began.  

Because you see, ladies and gentlemen, I had worked every weekend from dawn until dusk preparing for this moment. The voice of my ballet instructor etched sayings into my head.  Since I was two years old standing at the barre, I’ve heard the same sayings from my teachers.

One saying that I have heard over and over in my dance class is to “Spot!”. 

Spotting is when you pirouette, turn, or soutenu, you have find a spot on the wall and lock your eyes on it.  Even though your body is turning your head is the last to go around.  This keeps your focus; otherwise you will lose your balance and fall.  Spotting is a great analogy for life. 

Spotting reminds me of “Keeping my eyes on Jesus”.  Heb. 12:1, 2 “Let us . . . . fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith”. This is one of the most important life lessons.

Spinning or turning is like trials, changes or pain in life, but if we can find our spot on Jesus then we can complete the turn with ease.  However, if we take our eyes off Jesus, we will lose our control.  Our balance will be dizzy and we will fall.  Keeping our eyes on Jesus keeps us focused in this life.   

Peter is a great example of this.  When he was walking on the water in the Bible, he took his eyes off Jesus and quickly lost his center. He fell into the water because he lost his “spot”.   Just as I am learning to keep my “spot” in dance, I want practice keeping my “spot” on Jesus.

So will you dance with me?  Will we live for Him?  Will we bring Him glory in all we do?

How will you keep your “spot” on Jesus this week?

Danika Young is fourteen years old and is the daughter of Bruce and Jeanna Young.  She is homeschooled and lives in Southern California. Not only is she a ballerina and a speech and debate enthusiast, she loves art, fashion and baking.  She placed in the finals and semi-finals in STOA speech competitions this year and hopes to continue competing next year.