if you could rewind the entire year…
what would you say for each month? this post is basically that. i had one for the year of 2013 on my other blog (which is when i started using wordpress! then stopped for ten months) and you can look at it here. whenever i look back at the year, it simultaneously feels like yesterday and ten years ago. i suppose time is like that. anyway, this is a review/rewind of my past year: the accomplishments, failures, and all the above.
january: is probably the busiest month of the entire year. there really isn’t much to say considering it only consists of: rehearsals for youth america grand prix, summer intensive auditions, and STRESS. the only exceptional thing that occurred was that i’d auditioned for the usa international ballet competition. it’s an olympic-style competition that happens every four years, so i was quite nervous.
february: oh, the month of actual competing and audition results. i got into american ballet theatre’s new york intensive as well as san fransisco ballet’s intensive. (i didn’t end up going to either of those because they interefered with other schedules.) i went to youth america grand prix’s regional competition in los angeles and did fairly well. looking back though, it was alright. you can watch the videos here and here.
march: march was when i started the 100 happy days challenge! (you can look up the #happydayswithxan to see all my pictures) i also found out i got accepted into the usa ibc!! i began rehearsing for that, as well as yagp finals in new york. i started going to the gym every week to help build muscles for my injury. also.. DIVERGENT MOVIE. *flails*
april: youth america grand prix finals in new york! i went in 2013, but that was for an ensemble (group dance). this year, i’m going for a solo, and my friends/coaches aren’t here. it was the first time i went to a competition alone (aka without coaches and fellow competitors, but with my mom) and i did surprisingly well. new york was truly the highlight of this month. the competition itself was eh, but everything else – class at steps on broadway, shopping at lululemon & yumiko, eating all the things – was just *heart eye emoji* oh, and my house almost got set on fire..
may: my sister and i officially launched our company, the twirlings! super duper pumped about that. i also went to boston for my sister’s graduation and that was so great. i love traveling and boston is such a beautiful city. right after i came back, i went to showstopper dance competition in anaheim, ca. showstopper is always fun because i don’t treat it like a real competition, instead a performing area. therefore, i’m almost never nervous and don’t care too much about the result. this time it was annoying though because they played the wrong music, but i continued my dancing. mistakes happen.
june: the usa international ballet competition is officially here! i flew to jackson, ms with my close friends and family to experience the incredible month. i met and befriended so many amazing people and it was the highlight of the year. it was unforgettable and words cannot describe the experience. it was simply something that had to be experienced. other than the competition itself, i got attacked by fire ants and my foot swelled up to the size of a balloon. i even had to go to the emergency room. yep, definitely unforgettable.
july: we start our summer program back home! since the schedule didn’t match up for the other summer programs i was accepted into the beginning of the year, i decided to stay at home and refine my technique. six weeks of ballet, everyday, four hours a day.. yeah. we did go to showstopper dance competition, nationals, which turned out great. my sister also move across the country, to my favorite city, for her job. 😦
august: i finally watched TFIOS! i couldn’t at all the past two months because of competitions and intensive. i was on break for a bit, but finally things got back to normal. i also finally got a bookshelf. that was also the day i began bookstgram! there was also a mini competition-talent-hunt-thing (actually not quite sure what i participated in) that i went to. i suppose it was fun, but strange.
september: i took the (real) aptitude test! it lasted eight hours long, and afterwards, they told me what types of jobs would be suited for me based on my skills & etc. it was nice to get to know more about myself. nutcracker rehearsals begin. and i also started this blog. ❤
october: rehearsals for nutcracker really begin. i’m fairly stressed because i start getting behind on school, more auditions, teaching all the nutcracker parts, etc.. i went to watch the australian ballet perform swan lake, which was flawless. i actually don’t like swan lake, but this performance redeemed everything. i also went on a photoshoot with ballet zaida again. my family got a new car (finally)! i began teaching ballet classes as well as rehearsals. ALL THE BOOK RELEASES.
november: our performance was this month! everything was hectic and stressful. my pas de deux partner, joowon, came and we rehearsed for a few days, then BAM performance time! i didn’t do my best, but that’s alright. after performance finished, yagp rehearsals began again..
december: this past month has been a bit of a whirlwind. my aunt and uncle came from china and i haven’t seen them since i was like, five years old. yagp rehearsals continue and the stress builds. as the year comes to an end, i feel more reassured. this clearly isn’t the end, but quite the opposite. things can change at any moment – for the better or for the worse. i guess that result depends on you. and, simply because it’s this time of year, i feel more motivated than ever.
so this wasn’t a bookish post at all, but you should’ve known that from the start. i was originally going to post my new year’s resolutions as well, but then decided not to. in a way, they feel too personal. this past year has been a blast; i can’t wait to see what the next one will bring me.
what were the highlights of your year?
xoxo,
alexandra
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twirling pages 
You had agreatyear,congrats!
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