Katy Reeves Memorial Dance Scholarship

Mary Sanders' Letter:

Passion for Dance:

One quote says it all, "You ask me why I dance, I ask you why you breathe." To me, dance and breathing are one in the same. There is no way to provide a solid definition for passion, but to me passion for something is what makes you get up in the morning, what makes you smile when all you want to do is cry and what carries you through all of the hardships you face. Dance is more than just movement to music. Dance is where you can find yourself, express your true emotions and just give into what you feel. You cannot learn to have a passion for dance, you are born with it - it chooses you. Your passion for dance is what gives you the courage to try those new things, new styles and new experiences without fear. When you put your faith in your passion there is no fear because you know the confidence it has given you is everlasting. I have found my passion in the grace of lyrical, the rhythm and sound of tap, the funk and the fun of hip hop, the precision of drill, and the strength and power of tradition Scottish dancing. It does not matter how old you are or how long you have danced, the room dance occupies in your heart does nothing but grow over time. For me, the passion I have has given me the strength to believe in myself even if I am not as good as the rest of the blooming talents around me. My greatest hope as I pursue a minor in dance is that as I grow further from my roots at home, flying on the wings of my dream, that the next generations will find the passion that speaks to them.