Hey y'all! I'm Bella Marshall, and I trained as a ballerina for sixteen years.

Sixteen years of my life spent putting on ballet shoes, learning complex steps and practicing choreography for hours on end. My training started at age two in mommy and me classes at a local studio in my hometown. I still remember watching my very first ballet, The Nutcracker with my mom at three years old. My love for dance only grew over the years. At age three, my mom knew that I would spend most of my time dancing when she walked in to pick me up and I was teaching a combination to all the girls in my class.

After one season of soccer in which I refused to participate in warmups and chose to walk the sidelines instead, and two seasons of softball which were spent primarily twirling in the outfield and picking up flowers to hand to my parents after the game; it was established that the dance studio was the place I would call home. I spent hours upon hours at the studio training in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern and contemporary styles. Dance quickly became my favorite part of each day, and I found a way to integrate it into every aspect of my life. I used our kitchen island as a ballet barre and the empty grocery store isles were perfect for leaps! I can still vividly remember the day I received my first pair of pointe shoes; it is every ballerina’s dream come true! The excitement that came alongside “growing up” in the dance world is unlike anything I can put into words.

As I grew older, dance became more and more a part of my life. Every Christmas I performed in the Nutcracker of Middle Georgia and danced many different roles including Calvary, Jester, Angel, Little Girl, Snow, Flowers, Marzipan (pictured above because it’s my favorite costume!), Spanish and Lead Snow. I went off during the summer to attend prestigious dance intensives to sharpen my technique. While I loved the classes, performing was where my heart truly lied. Seeing little girls’ faces light up as I leapt across the stage and getting to hug their necks after a show always brought me back to my very first ballet and where my love for dance truly started.