Dancy Dances. Are you surprised?

Hi everyone!

I'm DancingAlong, or as I'm more commonly known around here, Dancy. In my former life (well, like 3 years ago) I was a professional dancer. I grew up in a pre-professional ballet program. I had been dancing for as long as I could remember. In fact, I did high school and my undergraduate degree online so that I could be dancing full time. I was fit, active, and healthy.

Or so I liked to think.

A year and half into my professional career I had a huge injury and setback. Turns out I wasn't as healthy as I thought, and I was diagnosed with an eating disorder, in addition to all of my other previous diagnoses. All of a sudden I found myself without the most essential thing to my life: ballet. I was surrounded by doctors, hospitals, surgeons, mental health professionals, and who even knows how many other people. It was a really dark time in my life. I was getting the help I sorely needed, but it felt like my life had ended.

Now three years later I'm still not dancing. It's too painful emotionally and I can't handle that yet. I've found new exercise passions and new ways to channel my energies. I climb now. I climb huge freaking rocks with just me, my shoes, and some chalk. How freaking cool is that? It gives me a power that's so similar to propelling myself at fast speeds in pointe shoes. I get to the top of a rock and the world is mine.

It's kind of an opposite thing isn't it? Ballet to rock climbing. If I had the chance I would go back to ballet in a heartbeat, but for now I'll take my rocks. Just give me some chalk.