Dance on, Sister

When my sister dances, she becomes a different person. She transforms from a shy, nerdy One Direction fangirl to a fierce and passionate young woman. When she teaches me steps, she becomes assertive and in control of the situation. It's exciting to watch her take the leadership role, which is usually mine.

I asked Nataly what she thought about teaching me dance, and her response surprised me.“It’s weird being better than you at something,” she said.

“This isn’t about me at all,” I told her. “I want you to be the best dancer. Better than me, better than everyone.”

I asked if she liked dancing in a group, or if she'd rather dance alone. "I like being a part of a crew," she said. " If you're dancing by yourself and you mess up, it's a big deal. But in a group, mistakes are hardly noticed. It's about the bigger picture."

“And why hip hop?” I asked.

“It’s the first type of dance I ever learned. But eventually I want to learn lyrical and contemporary.”

Nataly (centre) dancing with PNL. Photo by Mac Dimanlig.

Nataly (centre) dancing with PNL. Photo by Mac Dimanlig.

The way she dances is completely different from how I dance; I’m just memorizing steps and recalling movements. But Nat, she’s feeling. She's feeling the music and listening as she moves. More importantly, she’s having fun. Even when she messes up, she laughs and moves right on through.

It's not always easy for her, however. There was a recent Pulse N' Limited performance that, according to Nat, didn’t go so well. She bumped into another dancer on stage and forgot a few moves. “As soon as I walked out on the stage, I was nervous. I couldn’t even remember the first steps.” After the performance she went straight home and sulked for a few hours. “Whatever, I’m over it,” she says, “It was just a bad day, I guess.”

But she’s moved on. She always does. She learns new dances, gets excited about new songs and mixes. Nat even goes back to her high school to help teach dance class. Dancing is a big part of her life (probably bigger than One Direction) and I know she’ll go far with it. I can see the spark in her movements when we practise together.


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Stephanie Dor

Stephanie Dor is a student, barista, and athlete. She divides her time between homework, serving coffee at Bridgehead, and going on long-distance runs. One of her goals is to publish a novel, but in the meantime she is content with hanging with family and cuddling with her dog.

Blogs and sites I follow: Culture Shock Canada | The Dancer Lifestyle | Ladies of Hip Hop