The Unexpected Path to Confidence: Drama and Folklorico

The Unexpected Path to Confidence: Drama and Folklorico
By Blake Alford, 10th Grader

Thinking back, I’ll be honest—I can’t recall exactly how or why I started Drama. But what I do remember is who I was before it. I was timid, afraid to speak up, and, most of all, terrified to take risks. So when I heard Drama was a new elective, I was reluctant, to say the least.

But there was something special about Drama—a sort of atmosphere that made it feel like I could finally be myself. All the creativity I’d bottled up for so long finally had an outlet, and it felt incredible. I discovered talents I never knew I had, like doing accents, singing, and acting. I was completely engrossed. Drama opened the door to new forms of art, and they shaped me into who I am today. To sum it up, I went from being too afraid to stand on a stage to starring as Hercules in our school play.

Now let me tell you about dance. I was absolutely clueless. Honestly, I’d never danced a day in my life, except for maybe doing the Cha Cha Slide at a few parties. So when I joined Drama, the last thing I expected was to end up dancing Folklorico—or loving it. At first, I resisted. I’ll admit, I thought my teacher, Ms. Monarrez, was crazy for even suggesting it. I told myself, I’m white; I’ll get made fun of.

And sure, the insults came. A lot of them. But you know what? They didn’t matter—not when they were drowned out by the cheers of the crowds. Somewhere along the way, I stopped caring about what other people thought. Why should I let others decide what I’m capable of? Dance gave me a kind of confidence I’d only dreamed about. It taught me what it means to truly love something for myself, and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.

To this day, I couldn’t be more thankful—not just to the arts, but to the person who started it all and supported me every step of the way. Thank you, Ms. M.

If you’re like I was—nervous about trying something new, that’s okay. It’s scary to step into uncharted waters. But like Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” You’ll never know unless you give it a shot. If you hold on to that little sliver of courage and go for it, I know without a shadow of a doubt that you’ll find confidence in yourself, just like I did.