My fingers tremble as I apply the pink blusher to my face. "Contestant number 405! You're up next!" a distant voice shouts, beckoning to another competitor in the dressing room. Eyes trained on my reflection, I refuse to look at my surroundings but am subconsciously aware of the other competitors staring me down, sizing me up. Makeup complete, I slip on my leg warmers over my pointe shoes and proceed to the holding room. Plugging in my earphones, I turn on my workout playlist and start warming up my tense muscles. Music pumping through my veins, I converge into my own little world that revolves around no one else, only me. The day has finally come for me to show the judges what I have been practicing so hard for, day and night, for these two minutes onstage. The pressure for perfection is at an all-time high. My reflection smiles back at me in the floor to ceiling mirrors in the holding room, just enough to assure myself that I am ready. At a ballet competition, one would be able to witness the eccentric rituals practiced by a bunch of ballerinas that have practically lived day and night in the dance studio in order to perfect their routines. To properly appreciate and comprehend a ballet competition, a spectator would have to understand the classification of the four major categories of competitors at the competition, ranging from the dancers under the highest amount of pressure to the least- first being the die-hard ballerinas, second the kids who know nothing at all, third the popular hypocrites and lastly the recurring champions. This pressure originates from the shared goal each ballerina has in mind, and that is to win. Unfortunately, only one champion is allowed to take home the medal, while the others try their best again the following year.
In the first category, the die-hard ballerinas are the most pressured ones who eat, sleep and breathe ballet. They are known to spend every minute of their lives practicing, memorizing and rehearsing their steps, even in their sleep.