The lights shine brightly in her eyes making all the spectators looking like black silhouettes. Her breath mingles with the music as her exhausted legs push her upward into a jump. She feels the eyes of the judges watching her every move, looking for a single mistake. The judges scrutinize her movement and rhythm, deducting points for the smallest of mistakes. The spectators stare in awe at the intense and difficult choreography.

For dancer, Isabella Reutell this is the norm. She has been a dancer for 13 years at the same studio. When she was four, she moved to Calvert County. Her mother put her into a program that she wanted to do, and she’s been there ever since. Dance has helped shape who she is and controls her life.

            Isabella spends six days a week at dance with one day off. She laments that dance takes up so much of her time because she wants more time for herself and her hobbies. She enjoys playing volleyball but never has the time to play it. She often teaches the younger kids in her studio, which often leads to her coming home late. Even though dance has caused her to miss out on so many things she has stayed with it for a long time. When asked why she states, “Because I like it 70% of the time, 30% of it I’m guilt-tripped into it.”

            Though she likes it only 70% of the time she still enjoys doing it when she isn’t guilt tripped into it. Dance is so enjoyable to her because of the choreography and stage adrenaline. She particularly enjoys doing jumps as she feels like she’s flying, though, dancing can be quite taxing both physically and mentally. When asked if she ever thought of quitting, she replied “All the time.” I followed up with why she didn’t quit, and she said that she’s good at commitment and it’s good to finish out the program.

            Since she has been dancing for so long, I was curious to know if she would be the same if she never danced, she replied “No, not at all.” She feels like she might’ve been happier if she never danced because she feels like if she had done more when she was younger, she probably would have found something she liked better. She laments this by saying “I don’t get to do a lot of stuff because dance takes up all my time.” Isabella has been dancing for so long that she’s starting to think about what her life would’ve been like if she had time to explore other hobbies.