Dance has brought me so much joy, friendships, and opportunities that I will never forget, but it has also caused me pain, frustration, body dysmorphia, and many tears.
Lots of people see dance as just a hobby or the glitz and glam parts of it with the pretty costumes and being able to dance on a big stage. What people don’t see is all the sweat and tears that goes into the craft of dance.
I started dancing at the age of 4 and haven’t stopped since. I am someone who is extremely shy until you get to know me, but with dance I felt like it was my way of communicating without having to talk to anyone. I love dance because it is something that you have to always continue to work on! You are always striving for perfection, but there really isn’t perfection because you will always want to continue to get better and better!
I went to a performing arts high school known as ChiArts, my Junior and Senior years of high school. In addition to going to school and training there, I would also go to my dance studio, Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, where I would continue training. I then went on to continue my training at Point Park University where I received my Bachelor in Fine Arts for Dance and minor in business management.
In 2016, I had to take a step away from dance because of an injury and had to get surgery done on my left ankle. It is definitely an experience I will never forget. I remember having to learn how to walk again and that taught me to not take anything for granted and to cherish my body. I slowly worked my way back to dancing, but it was not easy. It was challenging both physically and mentally. But I am proud of myself for working hard and pushing through that rough time.
After graduating from Point Park University in 2020, I questioned my life; not knowing if I would ever dance again or even use the degree I spent the past 4 years working on. The dance world, just like the rest of the world, did not know if things would ever be back to normal. During the pandemic, I had to reevaluate my life and figure out what I wanted to do next if dance and live performance were no longer going to exist. I took this time to work and save up. I worked jobs I never thought I would, including a CPS substitute teacher, Amazon prime now shopper, and UPS Store Associate. In my free time, I would go and take drop-in classes to stay in shape as much as possible.
In 2021, I joined Madison Ballet in Madison, Wisconsin. I was so excited to finally start my professional dance career. It was still a bit difficult my first year with the company because of covid, but we worked around all of the obstacles we came across. My second year with the company was extremely rough and by the end of the season I was in a really dark space mentally. There were multiple days I dreaded going to work and would cry my eyes out because of how I felt at work.
The environment that I was in was extremely toxic and a lot of people started acting differently when I thought we had each other’s backs at all times. I was lucky enough to have a great group of friends! We were there for each other til the end and that is definitely one of the positives of this dance world! You meet so many people! And yes, there are people out there who don’t have your best interest at heart and are fake, but then there are those people who are there to uplift you and are cheering you on no matter what!
I was so ready to get out of Madison and to start a new chapter in my life! I saw Ballet Black was having auditions and decided to give it a shot! I am extremely blessed and grateful to be out of that environment! I will be moving to London in September to dance with Ballet Black, and I am beyond excited to begin this new chapter in my dance career!
If you would like to follow my new journey with me, you can follow my Instagram, @meganlchiu and subscribe to my Youtube Channel, Megan L. Chiu.
