The Tulip Festival

Last Saturday at the Tulip Festival (Thanksgiving Point), the company girls I teach had an opportunity to perform! They did so great, and I was so proud of them! I LOVE dance SO much! I loved being a part of it growing up, in high school, and in college--the opportunities I had, and the friends I made will be with me forever! I wish I could be 16 again, and do it all over again...just focusing on dance though, and not having to entertain other diversions such as boys, classes, jobs, etc. :)

It is definitely different being on the flip side of it all--teaching. But I have loved it! There are weeks when I feel that maybe it's too demanding (i.e. when I have choreography to do), yet when I see how much the girls have grown, and how fast, it feels so rewarding and fulfilling inside. Teaching dance is like having all the fun and great aspects of dance without the pressure :) Nevertheless there are still moments and days when I miss being up on the stage so much I want to cry!

When I stopped dancing after 2 years at BYU, I was ready to walk away. I was burned out physically, emotionally, mentally! I couldn't have cared less whether I stepped in a dance studio again, and I simply quit thinking of it as a part of me. There was a chain reaction of events and teachers which, unfortunately, turned me away from it all. Now that I look back, I wonder why I allowed them access into my dreams, into my confidence, and into my head. I still don't regret my decision to walk away at that point, and to change my major--it was the right decision for me. However now that I look back on it all, and now that I am back in the studio dancing, I realize that NONE of the reasons I walked away were related to dance at all. I never stopped loving dance, and I want to kick myself for allowing a few years to go by without spending any time in the studio.

The decision to begin teaching dance was the best decision I made last year. I feel that I have found a part of myself that was missing, and it makes me so happy. When I'm in the studio dancing with the girls, I feel like Robyn :) I feel like myself, the person I was before I was married, before I was a mom, before I had a job. It feels amazing to blast the music, dance until I sweat, and pass along the things I've been taught to an amazingly adorable, kind-hearted, genuine, talented and fun group of girls. I have developed a love for each and every one of them, including my 3 and 4-year old students :) They lift my spirits, and help me feel that I have something to give back for all those years I was taking, taking, taking. I know with all my heart I am in the right place at the right time, with the right people. I am so thankful to be able to do what I love again! I am so thankful that Josh, my mom, and Heather are willing to help me out so I can do this! Thank you!