As a person who comes from ball sports like soccer and volleyball, ballroom dancing was never expected in my life. From a young age, I started playing soccer, and it became my passion. I had intentions of playing at the collegiate level, so soccer became my focus growing up.
In my freshman year of high school, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of cancer that is found in the blood, which changed the course of my life. This diagnosis caused me to put everything in my life on hold and prioritize my health. Due to the intensive treatment I was undergoing, sports and school were required to be put on pause.
From the beginning of my treatment, the doctors assured me that I would be able to return completely to my old life, which included soccer. Soon, it was very clear that would not be the case. The cancer treatment that I received, chemotherapy, comes with a lot of side effects. Sadly, through my treatment, I got most of the worst possible side effects including my ongoing problem of Osteonecrosis in my knees. Osteonecrosis is essentially a condition where the bone is not receiving enough blood to keep the affected area healthy.
Once I was cleared to return to sports, my knees quickly started hurting, however, I believed these pains were simply from being away from physical activity for so long. Since I had missed being in sports, I didn’t want to stop. So, I kept pushing and participating despite the pain.
The first sport I tried was volleyball, and throughout that year, there were many painful moments as my knees started to worsen. In the summer before my senior year, I tried playing soccer again and was having a rough time. I ended up back in the doctor’s office to get my knees checked out.
That summer I was diagnosed with my current condition and we discovered that I needed reconstructive surgery due to having a fractured knee from playing those sports. With university being around the corner I had to decide to leave all sports in the past as my Osteonecrosis/Avascular Necrosis (AVN) was something that would be a part of my life going forward.
When I started university, I began looking for things that could replace the itch of playing sports, but I could never find anything. In January, the second semester of university, I started to build an interest in ballroom dancing and heard that the school had a club. Initially, I was very scared to try dance; I had never really been a dancer before. I had a friend who pushed me to try a ballroom class at the university and slowly started to get more involved with it.
At first, I was very skeptical as I did not want to hurt myself, due to my knee condition. Eventually, I made my way to the club and have been a member ever since. When I first joined the club, Ravi Narayan, my instructor, had coordinated the year’s first competition and I decided to go watch and support. They competed at the Aloha Ball, one of the two local competitions in Hawaii. That competition was what got me hooked on ballroom dancing. Watching the competitors gave me motivation to continue dancing and want to eventually compete myself.
During the first six months of dancing, I struggled to find a balance to ensure my knees could handle dancing and get enough recovery so that I could continue my everyday life. Eventually, I found that balance which allowed me to be involved in the performances we hold for the club.
By the summer, I volunteered to help Ravi, the president of the Honolulu Chapter of USA Dance, provide music for seniors through a state-run program at the Palladium. This program, in collaboration with two other studios, allowed seniors to stay active through dancing. Since July of 2023, I have provided their music for three hours every week.
Through the many hours of practice with the university’s club and the personal time I put in at the Palladium, I have been able to build my dancing skills and bring back a piece of my life that I thought I lost. Ballroom dancing has given me an outlet to continue to be active and allowed me to expand to competition. I have found an activity that does not strain my knees but also gives me the satisfaction of competing.
Ballroom dancing has become one of the most important things in my life. It has allowed me to meet wonderful people who play a huge part in my dancing journey. I have a partner with the same goals, and we continue to grow as dancers and push forward. Together, we have found people with many more years of experience who have helped us become the dancers we are. This school year, we were able to fix our schedules to incorporate more personal dance practice at the Palladium to prepare for Nationals.
Through ballroom, I have been able to continue being active when I once thought that was impossible. I hope to continue dancing for many years to come and wish to continue to improve my partnership so that we both can reach the highest level of dance possible.
I want to thank my partner Andrea Siochi, my coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti, the members of the University of Hawaii Ballroom Dance Club, and the many people who have been a part of my dancing journey for getting me to where I am today.
