I don’t dance. God put me on this earth to play sports, be loud and genuinely come as close to having two left feet as humanly possible. When my mom put me in ballet class in grade school, I loved the shoes and getting my hair all done up, but I hated my teacher’s desire for me to be “light on my feet” and “graceful.” It became quite clear through the failed pliés and clumsy pirouettes that dance was not for me.
The decision was solidified when my ballet teacher pulled my mom aside after one of our classes (I was eavesdropping, of course) and kindly suggested that I was “too much” for dance, recommending I take up basketball or peewee flag football instead. I got the hint. From then on, I committed to lacrosse, soccer, hockey and any other form of physical activity where “gracefulness” was not a requirement. Sure, I loved the arts, but that overheard conversation was stuck in my head, debilitating my self-confidence about putting myself back on a stage.
Many years later — the first week of this Winter Term to be exact — I danced for the first time in front of a crowd since second grade. It happened by accident: I had picked up my good friend Leila from work and asked her about her plans for the afternoon. She simply replied, “I’m just going to Synchrony. Want to come?”
For context, Synchrony is a dance showcase that is held once every term and has been for years. It is a well-loved and popular Carleton tradition. For whatever reason, when Leila, a committed dancer, said she was “going to Synchrony,” I assumed that she meant she was going to watch the dance show. I had attended Synchrony for the first time last spring, loved the experience, and wanted to absolutely see the show again.
So, I replied, “Yes, of course, I would love to go.” What could be more fun than a dance show on a random Thursday in early January? Leila looked at me, somewhat surprised, but excited that I said yes. My friends are well aware that I have a lot of love for the arts, but don’t often venture into that community on campus. I might sing and dance to the “Dear Evan Hansen” or “Hamilton” soundtracks in my friends’ dorm rooms on a Friday night, but that is much different.
Leila didn’t realize during our entire walk over that I didn’t know we were going to the first dance rehearsal and not the dance show. I only discovered my misinterpretation when we entered the Weitz Dance Studio. The leader of the dance group, Juju, welcomed me with a huge smile to the first dance rehearsal for the segment “Zaralarsynchrony” in Synchrony Winter 2026. My cheeks flushed red, and my palms began to sweat as I recognized my mistake, and my embarrassment began to flood in. I whispered to Leila the reality of what had happened, but, much to my dismay, she responded by making light of the situation and urging, “Madeleine, just try it. It will be fun!” Since I had already walked all the way over and the energy in the room seemed rather encouraging, I took a deep breath, relaxed my shoulders and got ready to learn some choreography.
As the Zara Larsson mashup began to play and Juju showed us the first couple of moves to “Symphony,” I noticed myself in the large dance studio mirrors and recognized that I was smiling ear to ear. This was the freest I had felt in a long time. Suddenly, all of my academic stress went away — I forgot what LinkedIn even was — and I felt confident about who I was as a person. I felt connected to this group of women, and at the end of rehearsal, I committed to showing up every Thursday for the rest of the term.
Throughout the following weeks, we learned more choreography to Zara Larsson songs, such as “Lush Life,” “Ain’t My Fault” and “Midnight Sun.” Each week, I grew more excited about the performance at the end of the term and the ability to showcase my newfound passion to all of my friends.
The first performance day came along last weekend, and our dance group decorated ourselves head-to-toe in glitter as we got ready to perform. As the first few beats of the mashup began blasting through the Great Hall and we walked out onto the stage, I could feel my eyes light up and my heart begin to flutter. The energy in the room was euphoric: the pink lights radiating off of our glittered limbs, our smiles and giggles recognizable from the back row. That first performance is undoubtedly one of the most memorable and fun nights of my life.
My experience with Synchrony taught me the importance of just saying “yes” — a lesson usually instilled in us as kids but often lost as we grow up, choosing to specialize in what we are good at and comfortable with. Sure, my technique may have been off, and I may have missed a couple of beats here and there, but the ability to embrace that and participate in something just for fun is life-changing.
Academics at Carleton have taught me a lot about life, but the lessons I have learned on campus, outside the classroom, extend far beyond papers and professionalism. College is one of the last points in life when an individual can play for a club sports team, write for the student newspaper and join a dance showcase all at the same time. I highly encourage this level of participation in Carleton’s extracurriculars, and sometimes it’s worth doing something just because it’s fun.
