Many college students struggle to find a comfortable balance between their studies and their extracurriculars. However, when pursuing activities that bring out one’s true self, it’s possible to find a manageable balance between these pursuits. In addition to being a healthcare administration major, an Honors student and a Mosaic scholar, first-year student Gabby Petridge recently joined the Elizabethtown College Dance Team.
Petridge has been dancing since she was three years old. When applying to Etown, she decided she wanted to try out for the College’s dance team. “I followed them on Instagram when I first had an interest in Etown, and everything they posted looked so fun,” Petridge commented. “They looked like they were happy.”
Like many other extracurriculars, the dance team can take up a lot of time for busy students. However, with the right planning, it’s possible to commit to more than one opportunity for growth. Although she devotes a lot of her time to the dance team, Petridge manages to find a healthy balance between dancing and pursuing her studies. “I try to get a lot of my work done as soon as it’s assigned so I don’t have to sit on it,” she said.
As a performer, Petridge enjoys a good challenge. She found this challenge within the dance team, whose members strive for excellent presentation and articulation. Impressed by their performances, she feels like she will be adequately challenged to work toward her goals as a devoted dancer. “They’re all so good. It’s like a whole team of role models,” she said.
While it’s important to look for and accept challenges, it’s equally necessary to balance being challenged with having fun and expressing oneself. For Petridge, the dance team is a great balance of competition and fun. While some of the moves may be challenging, she is able to embrace the fear and focus on how much she loves to dance.
At first glance, being part of a college dance team may seem stressful and intimidating, but the dance team truly lives up to Petridge’s expectations. “They were much more welcoming than I was expecting. It already feels like a little family,” she noted. “I was intimidated at first, but they broke down the awkward barrier with the freshmen.”
In addition to being a creative outlet and a form of exercise, the dance team feels like a family to Petridge. Since joining the team, she’s not only been introduced to new ideas and routines but also to the dance team’s social life outside of school. “I like that it just gave me a whole bunch of new friends,” Petridge said. “We do a lot of bonding stuff outside of practice, which gives me a whole new friend group.”
Petridge can’t wait to see what her future on the team holds. From performances at Accepted Students Days to other campus-wide events, she will have the opportunity to perform at a wide variety of venues on campus.
