There’s this unspoken expectation that if you’re doing well, you must be okay. If you have a 4.0, you must have it together. If you’re involved in theatre, you must love the spotlight. If people come to you with their problems, you must be strong enough to carry them. If you’re smiling, you must be happy. Somewhere along the way, I built a life where I became “the strong one,” the dependable one, the one who shows up, the one who performs well, the one who keeps the grades high and the energy...

For the longest time, to me, dancing was just movement. It was the idea that there were steps to follow, counts to learn, and, honestly, just making shapes with my body. Through time, somewhere along the way, it became something more. It was no longer just showing up, following the counts, going home, doing it again the next day. It became something that made me realize what I was feeling on the inside could truly live outside for people, for me, and I could do this through my movement....

Love. This word, four letters long, is meant to be something raw, something real. It is something that everyone dreams of having and looks forward to in their life. At least it's the version that I learned. This version didn't come from real life for me. It came from movies. It was the kind where two people hated each other in the beginning. They slowly fall madly in love until something is exposed when one person leaves, then the other does whatever it takes to win them back. Those are the...