I'm 16 years old, and dancing has been part of my life for as long as I
can remember. I absolutely love it. I currently do 8 styles, and
honestly, if I had the opportunity, I would do even more classes.The
problem is that my parents have decided that...
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I'm 16 years old, and dancing has been part of my life for as long as I
can remember. I absolutely love it. I currently do 8 styles, and
honestly, if I had the opportunity, I would do even more classes.The
problem is that my parents have decided that next year, when I'm in Year
12, I'm quitting dancing altogether.To most people, that might sound
dramatic, but dancing isn't just a hobby to me. It's a huge part of who
I am. It's where I've invested years of effort, discipline, and passion.
It's the thing I've always been proud of. I've spent so much of my life
building my skills, and I finally feel like I've reached a point where I
can look at myself and think, "I'm actually good at this."Realistically,
I know I'm probably not talented enough to make a career out of dancing.
But if I had the ability and opportunity, I absolutely would. Part of
what hurts so much is knowing that I'll never even get the chance to
find out how far I could have gone.My dance school has a yearly concert
where they choose a "Best Performer" who receives a solo the following
year. I've been told multiple times that I'll get it eventually. For
years, I've worked towards that goal. This upcoming year feels like my
last real chance.Usually, the dancers who do the most classes have an
advantage because they're seen more often. Right now, I do 8 classes,
which gives me a decent chance, but there are dancers doing 10 classes
who are already strong competition. My parents are now telling me I have
to cut down to 6 classes.Maybe that sounds insignificant, but to me it
feels devastating. It feels like my final opportunity is being taken
away before I've even had the chance to try. Since this is supposedly my
last year of dancing anyway, reducing my classes makes me feel like
everything I've been working towards for years is slowly slipping
through my fingers.The reasoning my parents give is that they hate
driving me around and think I need more "breathing room." They also have
three other children to focus on, and they said I've had "my run." That
I've had my years of dancing, and now it's time to move on.The thing is,
I don't want to move on.I'm a good student. I've never struggled to keep
up with schoolwork. I do have anxiety, sleeping problems, and issues
with emotional regulation, but dancing has never interfered with my
academics. It only takes up two evenings a week, yet it's one of the
most important things in my life.Lately I've realised how much of my
identity is tied to dancing. I've already given up on some of my other
ambitions. I used to dream about becoming valedictorian, but I don't
think that's realistic anymore. I'm not especially close to my parents
or siblings. I only have a few friends. There are other things I enjoy,
but nothing that feels meaningful in the way dancing does.Dancing is my
talent. It's my thing. It's the one area of my life where I genuinely
feel confident and capable.The thought of giving it up next year makes
me feel empty. Sometimes I think about my friends continuing to dance,
improving, achieving their goals, and moving forward while I'm forced to
stop, and it honestly feels unbearable. I feel like I'm losing a part of
myself.I'm scared that if dancing disappears from my life, I'm going to
fall into a depression. I already see a counsellor, but I don't know how
to process the idea of losing something that means this much to me.Has
anyone else had a passion or activity that felt like part of their
identity taken away from them? How did you cope with it? Am I being
unreasonable, or is it normal to feel this devastated? How do I stop
feeling like my entire future is being ripped away from me?
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