As a child, many girls wanted to be a ballerina. Whether they played with Barbie in her tutu or asked their parents to get them classes, they loved the idea of it. The grace while dancing, the confidence of being in front of people, and the elegance of movement all appealed to them. Some even made it a hobby, but few grew passionate about and made it their life. Bailey Spelman, sophomore, is one of the few.
At just the age 15, she has already achieved the distinction of becoming a professional dancer. At the age of four, Spelman started ballet, and her passion grew each year. She practices one and a half to two hours each day. With she is in rehearsals for a program, practices can range from one hour to five hours, three to four days each week.
She is also part of the Charter Oak Advanced Dance Team, whom she practices with every day. Impressively, she also dances professionally with a company called American Ballet Theatre throughout the year. Yet all this work does not hold her back from completing all her academic work and being an outstanding student.
Spelman manages to practice for hours while still keeping up with her schoolwork. Spelman maintains a 4.0 GPA while having all honors classes, and she is planning to participate in the IB program. When asked about how she accomplishes this, she says she manages her time and does her homework first and then dances. Schoolwork is her priority, but that does not take away from her dancing time.
During the summer, she has more free time, and she takes full advantage. She auditions at school and with companies. Ballet is her passion, and her love for it continues to grow. She constantly wants to improve and reach her goals. Being a professional dancer obviously requires sacrifices, but Spelman does not mind.
Spelman’s family means so much to her, and they have been a constant support. Her parents have always allowed her to take lessons, provided her equipment, and adjusted to her schedule. In the summer she travel to cities like Chicago and Alabama with her mom.
Many at school may not know about her talent because she is humble about it and does not brag. Despite being so young and still a younger classman, Spelman still knows where her priorities lie and works hard to achieve them. Her dream is to become a ballerina in a major company, and she know how competitive it will be so she keeps to her focus. She maintains high academic standards so she will be eligible to dance at a good university as well and advance from there.
Spelman is an unstoppable girl with a realistic mindset, who holds on to her big dream.