Julianna Goradia

At the age of 9, I didn’t know much about dance or what it took to be a good dancer. All I really knew was that my best friend since 1st grade, Caitlynn, had been dancing her whole life and had been encouraging me to start dancing with her at a small dance studio in our town, Legacy School of Dance. I began my first dance class that fall of 4th grade, taking one class a week on Thursday nights. This was the beginning of a long and exciting journey…

While I was initially scared of what would come from dance, I fell in love with it. My passion for dance grew increasingly fast, as I was eager to do more and more. By the 5th grade, I was taking 5 classes a week, and then I began competing in the 7th grade. Each day, I ran through the doors of the dance studio, eager to kick off my sneakers and throw on my pirouettes. I spent twenty-plus hours each week attending dance rehearsals, including giving up every single Saturday for competition practice. “Leap, turn, stretch, kick” the dance teacher, Kim, would shout out. I was thirsty for corrections from anyone that I could get them from. I worked on my flexibility outside of the studio. I watched videos of professional dancers, trying to learn from them. And suddenly, dance became not just my passion, but more so my life because I had finally found something that I could call my own and something that I was good at.

Throughout my dance career, I learned so much about the process that went into becoming a good dancer. This wasn’t about who was able to memorize the steps the best or who could do the most turns. Instead, dance taught me about trusting myself and taking risks. I had to learn to understand that dance is an exploration of the self through movement and reaching beyond what you believe that you are capable of.

Because of this, I loved to dance because it was a way for me to identify who I was and feel like a part of something. My competition team brought out the best in me because I was surrounded by people who were all there to accomplish the same goal as myself, which was to be better than the day before. I now look back on this phase of my life and appreciate all that dance gave to me. From this experience, I’ve truly learned so much about myself and my growth as a person that I would not have found without dance. As I begin this new and exciting journey at the University of Georgia, I will cherish the knowledge that I gained about taking risks and will continue to explore who I am.