Nastazia Moshirfatemi, cub writer

Two students at the highschool, freshmen Cecilia Perlstein and junior Sadie Abergel, both go through emotional dilemmas, while at dance, that result in them becoming stronger because of it.

Perlstein started dancing at the age of 10 when she joined a training program. She immediately was intrigued and began taking professional classes for ballet.

“I love the way I can express myself and don’t have to think about anything else,” Perlstein said.

Perlstein’s dance schedule takes up an average of 20 hours per week. While most would be overwhelmed by this, she doesn’t seem to mind.

“I feel like it’s part of my life, not something extra to do, it’s more of a routine,” Perlstein said. “If I didn’t do dance then I’d be really bored all the time.”

Members of the Arabesque Ballet Studio, run by dance instructor Olga Tozyiakova, were under pressure as the April 13 dance competition finals in New York came closer.

“The competition that our studio was just in was a really big competition and it can be really stressful, especially with Miss Olga pushing us harder than [normal],” Perlstein said.

Although, the studio did not place at finals, and Perlstein’s class continues to be mentally and physically demanding, Perlstein maintains a positive attitude.

“[The program] requires a lot of hours and a lot of energy. It’s really hard on the body to be doing so many hours of dance,” Perlstein said. “I think that, mentally for me, it’s not as stressful as for some other people.”

Not only is her studio physically demanding, but most dancers go through emotional phases, especially during competitions.

“[During the competition] we saw girls that, after they performed, would just sit down and cry,” Perlstein said.

Abergel went through an emotional phase, at the very beginning, when she first joined the dance program.

“At first it was really intense for me and I wasn’t used to not being able to hang out with my friends. It’s a lot of dancing, a lot of work, and commitment,” Abergel said. “It’s really rough but at the end of the day, it’s worth it.”

The girls and boys at Arabesque Ballet Studio continue to train and prepare themselves, both physically and mentally, for  upcoming events and challenges they will face.