<p>Please send me a copy of her first book-- I’m thinking it will be an investigation of the long-term effects of exercise on different parts of the brain.</p>
<p>You’re first on the list, Gwen!</p>
<p>Admit it – you just don’t like being thought of as a “dance mom”! That’s OK. We know you’re not crazy!</p>
<p>Momzie-- Dance Moms!! Don’t get me started!</p>
<p>The other thing to remember is that this is likely her last few years doing dance team. There really is not an adult version. My D2 loves musical theatre, however she has no illusions of going to Broadway. But finding schools with serious, exciting MT programs open to all students is the top of her list for things to look for in a college. She sees it as her last blast before many years of community theatre! D1 feels the same about her sport.</p>
<p>Ok, so maybe this will help, since he was an intellectual—</p>
<p>Joseph Campbell says, If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. </p>
<p>My daughter has some wall art in her room with that quote and as you might guess, she is looking for a college where she can swim (and be a science nerd). Point is, the swimming part def makes it a harder choice for colleges (to fast, too slow, etc), but it is her bliss.</p>
<p>And btw, I live in Spokane. Gonzaga is a not a bad option. </p>
<p>Hope getting the worries out helps. We love our kids so much, right?</p>
<p>Has your daughter considered or looked at Princeton? We know a girl that sounds just like your daughter and she was very happy at Princeton as a classically trained dancer taking business classes and pre med. She was one of Princeton’s best dancers and she is now opening a studio in Manhattan. It sounds like your daughter found her passion and that is a good thing. Support her lack of nerdiness and talent but show her that there is a way to have it all.</p>
<p>Sorry just realized she is a senior and has already applied. I hope the above statement might be helpful to someone else who has a really smart dancer about to apply. Princeton is really a great place to be if dancing is your passion.</p>
<p>She can parlay her understanding of dance athletics into, PT, MD, sports psychologist, trainer, etc… I work with some brilliant doctors and many of them have passions outside of that. Like music.</p>
<p>True… it’s funny, she has little idea what she’d like to do outside of dance. But she KNOWS she doesn’t want to go into medicine-- her parents are both physicians, lol!!</p>
<p>She might end up being a dance instruction with her own studio!</p>
<p>Edit: I second the idea of physical therapist. They don’t have crazy hours like physicians and they do so much good. I think my PT is a god. :)</p>
<p>Another option would be occupational therapy, especially with a dance background. Along the lines of PT, OT is a growing field in sports (and dance). They still help rehab injuries but with a focus on teaching the athlete to use that body part in a way as to not reinjure said body part. Our D was seeing a “hand specialist” OT when she had some issues with some tendons in her wrist that were aggravated by playing her instrument and her sport. This hand specialist also was an athlete in that sport and a piano player so she knew the stressed involved and gave her valuable information on how to keep from getting injured again.</p>