Editor’s Note: The following essay is one of five winning submissions selected for the 2026 Showstopper Day Essay Contest. In her essay, “Who I Cherish Most in the Dance Community,” Ava Walts responds to the prompt, “Who do you most cherish in your dance community? Why?” In a unique twist, Ava not only shares her enthusiasm for the people who support her every day but also for those who have had an impact and moved on.
In the Dance community, there are so many people who inspire me, teachers who push me, teammates who support me, and choreographers who challenge me. But the people I cherish the most are my teammates.
Dance may look like an individual art when you’re on stage, but behind every performance is a group of people who understand exactly what you’re going through. My teammates are the ones who stand beside me through every long night who repeat the same eight counts over and over again and who never give up even when they’re exhausted. They know the nerves, the pressure in the feeling of chasing perfection, even when it feels impossible.
Some of the people who once stood next to me, who laughed with me in the dressing rooms, and it made me feel like dance is a home… Eventually left. With being the owner‘s daughter, that was always a very hard thing for me to get behind. I knew that people would leave and would feel like they could never have a strong relationship with me after, but I have never felt that way.
Some moved away. Some grew in different directions and some just simply outgrew this part of their life. And no matter the reason, their absence is felt in every empty space that they used to fill.
It’s kind of a strange feeling missing someone in a place where they used to be the best part of your everyday life. You hear a song and remember how they used to do a dance to it. You stand in formation and notice a spot where they once stood is now empty. And in those moments, you realize how much they really meant to you.
But even though they’re gone, they’re still a part of me.
You don’t notice it right away. But then it hits, you’re in the middle of a routine when you glance over without thinking and don’t see them, in the dressing room where it’s a little quieter than it used to be. And the memories that come back at the most unexpected times. Backstage and they’re helping your nerves go away. My hair is a little messy and of course they would always have an extra bobby pin and hairspray or just simply give me a hug when I needed one.
What if they were still standing next to me?
What if we just had one more rehearsal, one more performance and one more moment together. What if I got a proper goodbye, would I still feel this way?
Even though they’re no longer here, they never really leave. They stay in the little things. In the way I count the music, in the tips I still remember, and in the way I push myself cause I know they would have. Their laughter still echoes in my mind and the lessons they taught me are ones I didn’t even realize I was learning at the time.
The Dance community is constantly changing and that can be so painful. But it’s also what makes it so meaningful—because every person who walks into your life leaves something behind.
So what do I cherish the most in the Dance community?
The ones who are still here… And the ones I wish still were.
Because they are the reason Dance has never been something I do just for fun.
It’s something I feel.
Something I carry.
And something I will never forget.
