It started in preschool. She was just a little girl, but her interest was piqued. Little Learners, a preschool, was the place that sparked senior Sabina Griffen’s interest in ballet. She has been a part of ballet since her second year of preschool and continues to dance with the same instructor. While some may have not considered a sport such as ballet at such a young age, for Griffen, “It was just a thing you did.”
Every sport requires time and dedication from the player. The coaches give their players set schedules for games and practices. But ballet is much different. “The process of getting to a show is a lot longer,” Griffen said. “The anticipation to show off skills is nerve wrecking.”
Going into high school with an obligation already established is hard for a freshman trying to find her place in a new found society. This was especially true with Griffen because during her freshman and sophomore year she had practices on Fridays. So while most of her friends were out attending football games she was “missing out on high school life.”
Balancing school and ballet gets tricky for Griffen. Even though she has late practices, she doesn’t have time beforehand to get school work done because she needs to rest. She wakes up early the next day to do homework. So depending on how much homework she gets done the previous night, the earliest she wakes up in the morning is 3 a.m.
Even after dancing for many years pointe, a type of practice for ballet, doesn’t stop hurting. It’s more of a challenge when she tries to look graceful. “The hardest part is to look elegant when your toes are screaming,” Griffen said.
Most players from any team are encouraged by their coach to forget about their problems from the outside world and focus on the sport. This is also true for Griffen. While she is at practice the recurring stress for a senior — like what she is going to do after high school — doesn’t cross her mind. “I don’t have to think about my future. The only thing I have to think about is my next step, not anything else.”
Ballet for Griffen is much more than just a type of dance. “It’s not like anything that I have ever done before,” she said. This shows through the strict aspect of the sport that some may not see. And like every sport ballet requires a lot of practice. “It’s more about precision, you have to do it a certain way or it wont look right,” Griffen said. “So I like the black and white aspect of it.”
Every sport one may start at a young age can teach life lessons. Griffen has learned “patience and to not give up, because when you learn a new dance move you won’t get it right away.” Therefore in order to do her best in ballet and life in general, she said, “you have to be ready for the next move.”