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I kept my dancing from my dad for a whole year.
I was afraid of how he would react to it.
Physical fitness was always important in my house.
Dance was really foreign to my dad.
He was so intent on me becoming a soccer star or a track and field star.
So it really alarmed him when I told him I wanted to dance for my career.
In my first big on stage performance my mom turned to my dad and saw that he was crying.
My dad finally saw how important dancing was to me.
Dancers aren’t seen as hardcore athletes, but I aim to defy that.
I’m a junior in college, studying commercial dance.
I'm in the studio dancing and taking class and rehearsing eight hours a day.
Every day starts with a ballet class.
I spend half the class at barre.
This warms me up and gets my body into place.
The second half of class is spent at center and then I have rehearsal for four to five hours.
Real power comes from within.
I realize you have to spend time working on yourself to find it.
I think self-care and self-love are absolutely vital for anyone pursuing their dreams.
In dance, you can't just wish your way into getting the steps right.
You have to put in the time and energy to understand how your body and mind connect
with one another.
In everything I do I try to find the balance between artistry and athleticism to make something beautiful.
I love the energy dance gives me.
It's euphoric and it makes me feel like all this hard work has really paid off.
My name is Elsa Stallings.
My commitment to dance goes beyond the studio.
It's a part of everything I do.