It's All About Connection

Since as far back as I can remember, dance has been woven into the very fabric of who I am. When the music plays, I don’t think—I just feel. I let my heart lead.

Growing up in a small town with so few opportunities for formal training, I could have seen that as a limitation. But I never did. I simply danced where I was, with what I had, because I couldn’t imagine life any other way.

In college, when I made the country dance team, a new dream opened up: auditioning for the lead role in our main performance that would take us to a world stage. I poured every ounce of my heart and soul into that audition. I could see it so clearly—what it would feel like to be up there, dancing my heart out.

When the results came back, I learned I hadn’t been chosen for the lead. Instead, I was cast as a backup dancer.

In that moment, my world came crashing down. It felt like the opportunity for “real” dance training and recognition had slipped through my fingers. I grieved that loss more than I expected.

But over time, something began to shift.

I realized that the passion I carried as a dancer was something no amount of training could create. It was already inside me. And what I did with it—that mattered more than any title or position.

I kept showing up. I kept learning. I kept practicing long hours, fueled by a desire to grow from everyone who came before me.

Most of all, I began to see that the most valuable thing I bring to the dance floor isn’t the number of hours of training behind me. It’s the love, the presence, and the connection I offer every time I step into the music.

For me, dance has never been just about steps.

Dance is connection.

It’s the way I lift myself and others. It’s the way I share joy. It’s the way I remind myself—and everyone around me—that we’re not alone.

So wherever this journey takes me next, I carry this truth with me:

Every step holds the power to connect. To heal. To inspire.

And that, more than anything, is why I dance.

Live in Love. Move with Meaning. Play Passionately.

Shalay