You’re just uncomfortable, not incapable.

I’ve been taking dance classes since I was two years old. 

I’ve trained in a variety of styles.

And when I was really young, probably early elementary school age, I decided one specific genre of dance was not for me. 

Hip-hop. 

I absolutely LOVE lyrical. I like ballet. When I got older and was introduced to contemporary, that became one of my favorites, too. I like to move slowly. I like choreography that is fluid, flowy, and feels like I’m floating on a cloud. It’s peaceful and beautiful to watch. These styles of dance feel good in my body. They feel natural. They feel safe. They feel comfortable.

What’s the polar opposite of lyrical? Something with sharp, quick movements. Staccato beats. A bit of aggression, sass, and swagger. Popping and locking into place, jagged lines, and big bold moves. Hip-hop. 

My body didn’t naturally move that way. My personality didn’t match that persona. So I shied away real quick. My younger sister, the life of the party, loved this style of dance, and our family loved watching her perform it. But for me, it felt foreign. It felt too far out of my comfort zone. So I didn’t try it.

From second grade until junior year of high school, I participated in every style of dance my studio offered—except hip-hop. I did jazz, tap, musical theater, contemporary, lyrical, and ballet. I loved some of those styles more than others. The older I got, the more intimidating hip-hop became to me. It was so different from every other style I performed. And every year when my peers were auditioning for the hip-hop team, I felt a little more left out and left behind. Eventually, I found myself wishing I had trained in hip-hop from the beginning. So for my senior year, I decided to go for it. I took a leap of faith and auditioned for the hip-hop team. 

When I got to college, my lack of hip-hop training really started to bother me. Here’s why. 

Each style of dance teaches us something different. We learn the foundations of technique—posture, alignment, and positions—in ballet. We learn style and flair in jazz. We learn gracefulness in lyrical. We learn storytelling in contemporary. We learn animated performance in musical theater. We learn musicality, timing, and rhythm in tap. And we learn precision, power, force, and swagger in hip-hop. To name a few. 

The point is, every style of dance teaches us something different. That’s why most dance studios offer so many styles and why they require their competitive teams to take specific classes weekly. A well-rounded dancer is trained in a variety of styles, picking up pieces from every genre. A truly captivating performer dances with dynamics. A mature skill developed when all those styles of dance blend into one. A dynamic dancer can be sharp one moment and soft the next. They can switch from extreme power to graceful stillness with a flip of a switch. That is the golden ticket for what makes a performer entertaining to watch.

In short, I felt like I didn’t learn what taking hip-hop classes would have taught me. I felt like I was less of a well-rounded dancer because a whole piece of my training repertoire was missing. And I waited until my senior year of college to do something about it. What started as two elective courses to dip my toe in began a journey of making an uncomfortable style comfortable.

To this day, three years later, I’m still taking hip-hop classes. And guess what? They still feel uncomfortable. They still make me nervous. It still doesn’t feel natural. It’s still hard. I still struggle. 

But that’s ok. Because one day, it will feel good. It just takes time. A lot of time. And I know I am becoming a better dancer for trying.

The other day, I read something that gave me some hope. I’ve heard some of my dance instructors speak on it as well. 

“It feels scary because it’s unfamiliar, not because you are incapable. You just have to be brave enough to absolutely suck at something new.”

For the longest time, I labeled myself by saying, “I’m not a hip-hop dancer”. I didn’t think I ever could be. 

But I want to be. I’m pursuing dreams that require me to be. And just because I wasn’t born with that natural talent doesn’t mean I can’t learn.

I’ll be so real. I don’t like sucking at things. Especially in front of other people. I don’t like sticking out like a sore thumb. I don’t like turning heads for the “wrong reasons”. And that’s why it took me so long to try. 

I’m not sure how long it’s going to take for me to feel confident, excited, and ready walking into a hip-hop class. But I am going to keep showing up and pushing through the discomfort.

And I’d encourage you, too. Be brave enough to absolutely suck at something new. You are capable. Discomfort is just a result of unfamiliarity. One day, it won’t be new. One day, you’ll absolutely own it and have a blast doing so. 

Keep showing up even when you know it’s going to be hard. And remember, you are loved by God, wonderfully made, and beautifully you. Don’t let someone else’s voice speak louder than what’s true.

Until next time…

hugs,

Kylie