The Dance: For Those Who Dare to Dream

By Kara Finkelstein

For everyone, parent and child that has a dream and wants to accomplish that dream. Go with Jade on her journey with her dance team, and her family as they navigate the highs and lows of Jades summer as she achieves her individual and team goals while overcoming her fears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329720831

Book preview

The Dance: For Those Who Dare to Dream

The Dance:

For Those Who Dare To Dream

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Kara M. Finkelstein

Edited by: Neal M. Finkelstein, Ph.D.

Printed 2015

©2015

ISBN: 978-1-329-72083-1

All rights reserved.  No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the written permission of Kara M. Finkelstein.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all my teachers, my family, and my best friends for helping and supporting me during the writing of this book. It was very special for me to finish this book and every word I wrote they were very supportive.

This book would have never been finished without the editing from my dad, the ideas we came up with, my sister Kaitlynn for being there every step of the way when I was writing this book, and my mom for proofreading.  I would also like to thank my John Evans Elementary and Tuskawilla Middle School teachers for teaching me the writing techniques and pushing me to be the very best that I can be.

Contents

CHAPTER 1 - - JADE

CHAPTER 2 - - SUMMER TIME

CHAPTER 3 - - MAD TRYOUTS

CHAPTER 4 - - MAKING THE SQUAD

CHAPTER 5 - - NO TIME TO SLOW DOWN

CHAPTER 6 - - LAKELAND

CHAPTER 7 - - VOLUNTEERING

CHAPTER 8 - - MAINLAND HIGH

CHAPTER 9 - - JACKSONVILLE

CHAPTER 10 - - WHERE’S DAD

CHAPTER 11 - - SARASOTA

CHAPTER 12 - - RELAXATION

CHAPTER 13 - - MIQUEL

CHAPTER 14 - - READY FOR REGIONAL’S

CHAPTER 15 - - REGIONAL’S

CHAPTER 16 - - SOMEONE FALLS

CHAPTER 17 - - MIGUEL’S DECISION

CHAPTER 18 - - BROADWAY & NEW YORK

SIX MONTHS LATER

CHAPTER 1 - - JADE

I am about to tell you a story.  The story is full of excitement, drama and challenges I had to face on my path to achieving my dream.  This is a true story about me.  My name is Jade.  I am eleven.  My hobby is dancing.  I have been dancing since I was three.  Sometimes dance is all I remember doing.  I enjoy dancing in many genres; ballet, lyrical, jazz and hip-hop.  I’ve been in competitions ever since I can remember and I love it.  I really love it.

Let me tell you a little more about me and my family.  We live in a small house that you can best describe as a one story greenish gray house in a very nice neighborhood in Central Florida.  I live with my mom, dad and older sister Vanessa.  I guess you can best describe my relationship with my sister Vanessa as pretty weird compared to other brothers and sisters.  Vanessa is four years older than me and ever since I can remember she has been my best friend.  She is so supportive of me.  I can’t really ever remember having a big fight with her.  I guess that is why I say it’s weird.  I think she is pretty perfect as a sister.

As for my mom, well she is everything to me.  Whatever I need she is there for me.  Although she works at a yoga studio, and teaches many classes every week at the studio, she always has time to take care of Vanessa and me.  You will learn a lot more about her shortly.

My dad is also a teacher.  While my mom teaches yoga my dad teaches at a local high school. He is the smartest person I know and is always there for me when I need help with something.  Together my family and I make a great team.  But enough about me for now let’s get to my story.

CHAPTER 2 - - SUMMER TIME

School is finally over and it is summer time.  While most families are planning their vacations, or already traveling that’s not quite how it’s going to work this summer in the Jade household.  You see I am a dancer.  My mom is a dance mom.  As such, we live very busy lives.  For one, my dad works the summers to support my dance dreams.  My older sister is also a dancer, but she is taking a break this summer as she has been fighting a small fracture which showed up on the top of her left foot.  I guess the doctor calls it a stress fracture.  Stress fractures are extremely common with dancers because of the over use of their feet, knees and legs.  So far I have been lucky no fractures, yet!  Vanessa missed the last three weeks of her dance class because she was in a boot.  Now she is just going to rest her injury over the summer.  That means Mom can focus more on me so Vanessa is free to hang out with her girlfriends this summer.

What a summer it is going to be, I said to myself as I woke up this morning.  Today is not just the start of another dance class.  Today is crazy exciting.

Mom screamed, Vanessa, Jade, time for breakfast! We have to get going!

Vanessa yelled back, What are we having for breakfast today!

I listened for an answer, there was none.  Silence in my house meant Mom was on the iPhone managing schedules, working or texting friends.  Although my mom is a yoga instructor some people may interpret that as a mom who is calm, cool and collected.  You would think those are appropriate characteristics of a yoga instructor, but as far as my mom goes those aren’t even a close description.  To describe my mom, I would say she is a woman who is always on the go.  She is always hot in the Central Florida heat and not that organized.  So as I suggest certainly far from a calm, cool and collected yoga instructor.

As we came around the corner of the kitchen Mom pointed to the toast and butter on the table as to give a silent command to get eaten.  Orange juice was in a half filled glass and egg whites piled high in a very large mound.  As Vanessa reached for the fruit bowl, my dad walked in with a handful of textbooks.  He was in beige khaki pants and a golf polo top. His typical GOTO outfit for work.  I can’t explain my dad very well, but one thing is for sure, he always wears the best smelling cologne.  It’s the first thing you notice about him when he is close.

Today, he looked so tired like he was up all night preparing for something big at school.  My dad is fun, but is a very serious person.  He always wants to do a good job at whatever he is doing.  My mom wants to take him to yoga to change his constant seriousness to a more chilled and relaxed guy.  But my dad would rather spend his time in the gym exercising than a low lit nice smelling yoga facility.

My dad has two sayings that he always repeats.  I mean always.  He says, Always do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.  His second saying he repeats to us all the time. It came from some type of scientific survey that someone did many years ago, I guess.  Someone surveyed like 10,000 grandmas to find the best advice their moms ever gave them or something like that.  The number one winning piece of advice the grandmas responded with was, That a few bad moments can ruin the rest of your life.  I guess that can mean an accident or something.  But he also relates it to saying something stupid to someone during a big fight when you really love that person.

Mom always adds her own advice, Don’t text and drive.  Pay attention to your surroundings at all times and don’t be out after midnight.

Dad grabbed a white protein drink out of the refrigerator and a cup of oatmeal Mom had prepared for him.  My mom always makes sure everyone eats well in the morning not so much for energy, but to keep everyone in a good mood.

Dad dropped the books off in the back of his SUV came back in and gave everyone a big hug and said, Have a great day, I’ll see you tonight.  You see my dad is also a big hugger.  He always  says, You know who is a good hugger, someone who hugs back stronger than you hugged.

I replied, I have dance tonight, so we will be late.

My dad replied, Of course do well; I have to get to work.  He waved to us and walked out the front door.

After breakfast and numerous games of Minecraft on my tablet, we got my dance bag together.  My mom made sure everything was in place in its proper compartments.  She surprised me last year with a new large purple dance bag that had my name in cursive writing on the side of it in big white letters JADE.  Next, I prepared my GOTO water bottle.  I am never without my water bottle.  For one, it is like 100 degrees in the summer in Central Florida.  Secondly, it’s a cool looking bottle.  It is a clear bottle with a blue top that has a compartment in the bottom where you can put slices of fruit like lemons or limes.  I carry that everywhere and today was no exception.

We got loaded into the SUV and Mom and I were off to the dance studio.  As we got to the dance studio, outside was the big statue that stands off to the side on the lawn of the studio.  The statue is about a teenage girl on her tippy toes making a turn.  The sign next to it has four big gold letters on a blue background, CFDA.  CFDA stands for the Central Florida Dance Academy.  This is Central Florida’s best dance academy for young dancers and this was my first day of summer classes.  Months ago I applied at the academy for a Summer class and I was extremely excited to get selected.  Today, I get to meet my future dance mates.

As I approached the door, I was shaking.  My mom looked at me and quickly said, Jade don’t be too excited you will fit in just fine.  You have worked so hard to get to this academy.

As I walked into the building where I will be training this summer, it was clear that these dancers were the best of the best.  Although they were made up of all sizes and shapes there was an air of confidence as you walked around the building.  Some of the girls wore street dance clothes others had on pink tutu’s with pink tights and worn out ballet shoes flooded the room showing each other that this was not their first time in a dance hall.  We walked past several studios