I’m A Latina Who Can’t Dance — And I’m Okay With That

Fortunately, I eventually found a creative outlet that was appropriate for my personality and skill set. My freshman year in high school, I took an intro to theater class and soon enough, I became a quintessential “theater kid.” Our theater program put on three shows a year — a musical in the fall, a one-act play in the winter, and a spring play — and I participated in nearly all of them. The musicals, in particular, provided me with a window into another world of dance. I witnessed how acting, singing, and dancing came together to create something special, magical even. And while I certainly wasn’t the most coordinated, most flexible, or most rhythmic, it was theater that helped me finally accept that I could still be a dancer without being the best at it.