late bloomer – P.I.M & PINK

🩰

Hi, P.I.M PALS! (🎀o^-^o)/ 🤍

Welcome to today’s blog post about ballet! 🩰🤍🎼

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post called, “To My Late Bloomers“. In that blog post, I encouraged late bloomers to have the courage to still pursue their dreams, even if they are pursuing them much later in life.

As a late bloomer myself, I shared my own experience of taking ballet lessons at the age of sixteen, which I consider to be a late start in the ballet world.

Furthermore, in that blog post, I covered my experience at the dance school and how I was being received by the other ballerinas.

In that blog post, I expressed how happy I was to finally see myself have the courage to live my ballet dream, even if it meant feeling like a “giraffe in the room”🦒. Eventually, however, I did leave that dance school for a variety of reasons, primarily due to not receiving the feedback that I was looking for from the ballet teacher and being mistreated by some of the other dancers there.

Though I was still fine with leaving that particular dance school, I still desired to do ballet, which made leaving that dance school a bittersweet experience. After leaving, I stopped going to in-person ballet classes for a long time, and instead, I focused on my studies, finishing high school, and preparing for college. 📚✍🏼🏫

However, even after I left that dance school, I still continued to teach myself ballet at home with the intent to one day return to in-person classes for ballet.

Little did I know, in 2023, for my 21st birthday, my parents had a special present for me. Along with a trip to Washington D.C. to see the Japanese cherry blossoms in the spring (which you can read more about in my “Begin to Blossom” blog post), my parents also surprised me with a private ballet lesson from the owner of a professional dance school that I always dreamed of being enrolled to.

Upon hearing the news, I cried tears of joy and excitement as I felt like this was the start of a new chapter in my life. However, I also felt very nervous because I heard that the owner of the dance school was a very strict ballet instructor, and I feared that my current level of ballet would not impress her. Thankfully though, my parents alleviated my concerns by constantly reminding me throughout the week that this private ballet lesson was to help me grow in my ballet skills and capabilities and that I did not have to be perfect or try to impress the ballet instructor. 😅

The day finally came on Friday, May 12, 2023, when I had my first private ballet lesson with the owner of the ballet school of my dreams! I could not help but smile throughout the entire time she instructed me. My mother basically filmed the entire lesson! 😄🩰🤍

During the private ballet lesson, the owner asked me why I wanted to do ballet, and my response to her was that I always loved ballet, and I always had a desire to do it. Additionally, I mentioned to her that over the years, I have watched many ballet shows from her dance school, and it inspired me to learn ballet and perform gracefully and beautifully on stage one day. 🩰✨

Throughout the private ballet lesson, the owner was impressed with me. For one, she said that I was very smart and that I follow along fast. She even addressed my insecurity about my age (I was twenty years old at the time) by telling and reassuring me that my age was an advantage because, in her words, “The older you are, the faster you learn.” And therefore, she said that I will advance very quickly in ballet. Overall, the owner gave me very helpful feedback throughout the entire private ballet lesson, which I needed and appreciated so much. 🙏🤍

After the private ballet lesson was over, the owner’s husband pointed out to me several beautiful black and white photos of professional ballet dancers who graduated from their dance school. For one, he pointed out to me a photo of a successful male ballet dancer who started dancing at nineteen years old. He also pointed out to me photos of professional ballet dancers who are also professional figure skaters and even hockey players, which further inspired me as someone who has also been taking figure skating lessons and aspires to perform on ice one day (which you can read more about in my “Introducing New Series…Prove it to Yourself” blog post). ⛸️❄️

While at the dance school, I also met several wonderful ballet dancers that welcomed me with courtesy and gave me encouragement. For instance, I met a ballerina who is in her fifties and is currently taking beginner-level ballet classes at the dance school, which further served to mitigate my insecurity relating to my age. I also met an eighteen-year-old boy at the dance school who has only been doing ballet for two years and has competed in professional ballet competitions and received several ballet school scholarships. Seeing him showed me how someone my age (or close to my age) can excel so quickly at something they are passionate about, which further motivated me to work hard at ballet. 🩰✨

Overall, the private ballet lesson was a truly wonderful experience, in which I learned so much and became more motivated and inspired to continue practicing ballet. One notable experience that touched me was a quote I saw that was written on a brochure that my father pointed out to me in the dance school. The quote said, “Dance because you are beautiful.” Soon enough, I enrolled in the dance school and started taking regular ballet classes the next week on Saturday, May 20, 2023, and on that same day, I even watched a beautiful in-studio show at the dance school for the first time, which served to further inspire me! 🩰🤍

For the summer, I even decided to join a ballet summer intensive program on June 21, 2023, that is offered at the dance school that I am currently enrolled in. My father, who is a Marine, likes to call the ballet summer intensive program, “ballet boot camp”, because it is very intense, but it is still very exciting because I will be a part of ballet shows that I always dreamed of being in and I will be performing a solo in front of the owner and the advanced level ballerinas. So, stay tuned for that, reader, because I will be launching a new blog post about my first-ever ballet performances in the near future and I would love for you to be a part of this journey with me. 🩰✨

The point of me sharing with you my ballet journey so far though, reader, is to further reinforce the message to not let your age stop you from pursuing your dreams like it did mine for so long, especially when your dreams come from God. Did you know that some of your dreams come from God, reader? If you have a desire or desires gifted to you from God and it aligns with God’s will, have the courage to start working towards it, because it will manifest one day. ✨

Ballet is just one of my God-given desires, but I can say now that I am truly living out that desire as I am now training at a professional dance institution to become a professional ballerina. I even received confirmation of this desire from the Holy Spirit who took the time to speak to me through my father to tell me that I will soon be dancing at the professional apprentice level like the professional ballerinas in the ballet schools in New York and Europe. Furthermore, the owner of my dance school told me that one day I can be her apprentice, which aligned with what the Holy Spirit told me. All of this assured me that my desire to be a ballet dancer came from God and that He gifted me with it. 🩰✨

I am so excited about what awaits me as I pursue ballet. But no matter what, when I dance, I will be dancing for the Lord. I will be dancing from my heart for His glory, for He is the One who gave me this desire to dance in the first place. For that, I will always be grateful and bold to praise Him. 🩰🤍

Therefore, reader, if you have God-given desires, but you are holding yourself back because you think you are too old or too young or you missed your opportunity, go to God and trust Him with a plan to help manifest your desires and work towards them and He will guide you. As the Scripture verse, Psalm 37:4-5 (ESV) says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”

Psalm 145:16 (ESV) says, “You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (NIV) says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

🩰

So, reader, what is your God-given desire? ✨

I hope that you found this post to be valuable and inspiring, reader, and if it resonated with you, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. I would love to hear from you. Thank you so much for reading! 🤍

Also, make sure to like and subscribe to my blog, P.I.M & PINK, so you do not miss out on new blog posts, videos, and content in the future. ✨

You can also find P.I.M & PINK on the following social media accounts:

🩰 Official Pinterest – P.I.M & PINK

🩰 Official Instagram – P.I.M & PINK

🩰 Official Twitter – P.I.M & PINK

May God grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans, reader, as it says in Psalm 20:4 (ESV). May God bless you and protect you always, and I pray that you are safe and healthy always. 🙏🤍

Your P.I.M PAL,

Selene

🩰

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Selene 🎀 (@selene_a_washington)

Hi P.I.M PALS,

Welcome to today’s blog post about becoming a late bloomer.

Firstly, what does it mean to be a late bloomer?

A late bloomer is someone who fulfills their potential much later in life. Meaning they have gifts and talents that go unseen for a while until recognized later than expected.

Therefore, I want to share with you a little story about how I became a late bloomer with something I always wanted to try when I was little but started much later in life.

Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I wanted to try ballet. But the fear of looking like a giraffe is what held me back from trying it.🦒 🩰

Photo and Artwork by Selene Washington

I thought that I would look awkward or taller than all the other girls in the ballet class, even though I was very petite in reality.

Every time my family and I passed by a ballet class, my parents asked me if I wanted to try it. But I always expressed my concern to them about looking like a giraffe. My parents tried to convince me otherwise, but they understood my feelings and did not force me to do ballet.

As time went by, life went on, and I kept getting older, I started to feel like ballet was more and more a lost cause to try out, and I could only blame myself for pushing it off constantly.

It was not until the age of 16 I had enough of holding back my desire to learn ballet. It took watching several ballet shows and recitals to inspire and motivate me so much that I talked it over with my parents, and we decided on a dance school for me.

Knowing myself, I wanted to go to the most prestigious ballet school in my state to be excellent in ballet. But since I was just a beginner, I was convinced by my family that it would be best for me to go to a dance school that would be less strict on me. Therefore, we decided that I would go that route but only temporarily.

I then went shopping for dancewear for the first time, which was fun. Also, we made a stop at the library, where I found a book all by itself in the corner of the bottom shelf called “Classical Ballet Technique” by Gretchen Warren. It was the only one left, and I truly felt like this book was calling me. It gave me hope, and I often used it as a reference to self-teach myself ballet on my own time.

After much discussion, my family and I decided that I would start with two ballet classes every week on Monday and Tuesday and then gradually add more along the way if I wanted to. That way, I could balance both ballet and school without getting overwhelmed. And the days I was not going to ballet class, I was working on my turnout at home, which is the rotating of the hips causing the feet to turn outward. It is a very important part of classical ballet technique that needs to be mastered. But I had to do it within reason because I was just a beginner who was not that flexible. Therefore, I had to be patient with myself as I was learning these new ballet exercises. 😐

On the day of my first ballet class, my family and I rushed there to get on time. Luckily, my ballet bun was still neat in place in the car. I felt so nervous and unprepared, even though I was more than prepared.

Once I entered the ballet class, I saw girls much shorter in height and younger in age. Therefore, I immediately thought that I would become that imaginary giraffe ballerina. Did I feel awkward? I sure did! 😅👍

Despite having butterflies in my stomach, I was excited and loved my first ballet class. I truly already felt like a ballerina because ballet was no longer imaginary for me. After my first class, I felt motivated to continue taking classes at the dance school and practicing my ballet at home. 💕

As I began to take classes, the golden question from many of the girls was, “How old are you?” I tried to back out of this question every time because I felt embarrassed about my age. I just hoped that my age or height would not matter, but that would be hard to ignore when I felt like I was the “giraffe ballerina” in the class.🦒 🩰

The girls were shocked when I told them, “I JUST turned 16.” As you can see, I made sure to emphasize the word just since it was true. I was 15 not too long ago ( still old ). The girls were surprised because they thought that I was younger than I was.

But after they knew my age, they still embraced me. Some of the girls were very sweet and very wise for their age. They talked with me all of the time and helped me whenever I asked them for help. Meanwhile, other girls just stared at me, which was kind of awkward. 👀

After a few months went by, the first recital was coming up, and I was going to be a part of it! It was a dream come true, and we were preparing a ballet choreography for one of my favorite songs. I was going to get a beautiful costume and everything. I got so nervous and excited about it all at once.

But for the most part, I thought that a recital was too soon for me because there was still a lot I needed to learn. Therefore, it was my personal choice to not participate in the recital but to continue to learn and improve my ballet skills.

Eventually, I left the dance school for a variety of reasons. But even after I left, I continued to teach myself ballet at home. I have made ballet a part of my daily life and it has inspired me in many other ways than just dancing. I aspire to glorify God with anything I do relating to ballet because He is the One who gave me this desire in the first place. 🩰 💕

Therefore, I am glad that I went ahead and started ballet, even if it was when I was 16. But when I look back, 16 was not that old to start ballet like I exaggerated it to be.

In fact, what I found very helpful and inspiring was looking up to ballerinas who started late like myself and still became successful, rather than compare myself to ballerinas who started ballet at a very young age. Therefore, my tip would be to look up to other late bloomers in your field of interest who have started like you but still became successful.

I hope that this story of my experience encourages you to step out in faith to live and pursue your dreams. Do something that brings you enjoyment, and do not be afraid to be the giraffe in the room. 🦒

Here are three scripture verses that I want to give you to help battle feelings of fear and comparison.

Deuteronomy 31:6, which says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

2 Timothy 1:7, which says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

And lastly, Galatians 6:4, which says, “Let each person prove and examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself to someone else.”

So to all my late bloomers, you must know that age does not matter to God. What matters to God is that you acknowledge the desires He has placed in your heart and glorify Him in everything that you do.✨

So, what is your dream?

Are you a late bloomer?

I hope you found this to be valuable, and if it resonated with you, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Also, make sure to like and subscribe to my blog so you can be notified of new blog posts and content!

Your P.I.M PAL,

Selene