My First Semester of College When I first signed up for this class I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to meet new people who were interested in ballet, but I would never thought it would happen to have a bigger impact on myself. I, for example, didn't believe that I would connect the world of classical dance with my economics and statistics course in which I am also currently enrolled, but that's exactly what I started to do. During these last 15 weeks I have learned a lot about myself, life and ballet. The lesson is not what I would have ever imagined; however I wouldn't change anything about the class in general. Ballet, like everything else, has a rich history that, while it may not seem important or interesting, is key to understanding where it is today and where it could be tomorrow. That's exactly what this course showed every week. It showed the evolution of ballet and its impact on the world we live in today, even though it may not be as popular as it once was. During the first five weeks we mainly focused on the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, to be honest. I found all of this boring when we were covering key information and people in that time period, but now as we near the end of the semester I find myself wishing I had more knowledge of Balanchine's three original "baby ballerinas." However, I gained a new appreciation for the rich history of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and learned so much information that I never would have had without these lessons. Overall, from the first five weeks of class, if I had to take away one key element, or one topic that has had the greatest impact on my life, it would be George Balanchine. Even though Balanchine appears in the ballet regardless of the time period… in the middle of the paper… of the conversation, it became clear to me that the ballet is much more than I initially thought. I am so grateful to have come to this realization. Ballet and dance in general are everywhere. From images on billboards, to alcohol commercials, to people celebrating life. Dance is part of it, has been and will continue to be. I want to make sure I do everything I can to spread this reason and love of dance to those who haven't yet known it. I think it's when you find something you're truly passionate about, when you want others to share your same passion. I wouldn't have known this about myself if I hadn't taken this course, if we hadn't studied the Ballet Russe, George Balanchine, the many forms of ballet and how difficult it is to be successful career-wise.