Bold Moves (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: Magic Slippers

Dance is defined as the movement of one's body in a pattern, often to music. For those who love it, though, dance is so much more than that. Defining dance with words is nearly impossible. That's because there is no exact science to it.

Dance is an art form. It's a physical expression of deep thoughts and feelings. The movements of a dancer's body can be as emotional as they are physical. Great dancers often talk about feeling the music inside of them as they dance. When done with passion, dance is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

From the time she could walk, Carolyn Lamour was drawn to dance. The beat of an imaginary drum pounded inside her. The music of her soul played from sunup till sundown--and she couldn't turn it off. Wherever she went, and whatever she did, the beat went on. Her desire to dance overwhelmed her.

At just three years old, Carolyn found her passion. Each night, she would sneak into her cousin Patricia's room before the teenager's ballet lesson. It was in that room where Carolyn saw something that changed her world forever.

In front of a full-length mirror Patricia would perform an amazing ceremony. First, she would put on a beautiful, sparkly leotard. Next, she would put her hair up in a bun with a pink ribbon. Finally, she'd slip into an incredible pair of pink lace-up slippers. In Carolyn's eyes, the slippers were magical--instantly transforming her cousin into a ballerina.

Once she put the magic slippers on, Patricia would glide across the floor gracefully. Carolyn would climb onto Patricia's bed and stare at her. From the first time Carolyn saw this dance, she knew that she, too, would be a dancer.

By the time she was five years old Carolyn began dancing all the time. She quickly developed her natural talent. Before long, she came to realize that dance was a part of her soul. Her passion was like a runaway train; there was no stopping it.

Carolyn is like many other dancers who simply felt like they had to dance. For these dancers, moving to the beat was something they did because it felt right. This is the way Jennifer Lopez describes her early passion for dance. She says, "...From the time I was very little, it was just something I would do all the time... It wasn't something that was fake...."

Jennifer Lopez, also known as J-Lo, is an entertainer with a career rooted in dance. Wherever she performs, people are amazed that she can make dancing look so natural. The movements of her body are in perfect rhythm with the music. And, the results are beautiful.

Carolyn admires J-Lo for the way her popularity has helped the dance world. She has a successful career as an actress, dancer and singer. J-Lo has danced in music videos, and films like Selena and Shall We Dance. In 2007, she became the executive producer of the MTV reality show Dance Life. This program shows dancers trying to make it as professionals in Hollywood. This is a place where competition is high. J-Lo says, "These dancers have dedicated their lives to this, and honestly, the glory is not always there. It's something they do only out of love."

As J-Lo says above, the life of a dancer can be very hard. Carolyn understands this better than anyone. As a dancer, she knows about long hours in training and stressful auditions. She understands the frustration you feel when you are not selected. There are few professional dancing jobs, so the pay isn't constant. For every dancer that makes a living, hundreds of others are forced to quit. To succeed as a dancer, you have to love it and be willing to stick with it.

J-Lo stayed with a career that seemed to be going nowhere for almost 20 years. She could have become discouraged and quit before she became a megastar. Besides a few paying jobs, her career didn't take off until about 10 years ago.

As a dancer, J-Lo got her first break at age 21. She was cast as a "Fly Girl" on the 1990's TV comedy In Living Color. This job didn't pay much, and didn't offer any guarantees of a long career. Through hard work and dedication, though, J-Lo made her own breaks.

Born in 1997, Carolyn has never even seen the show In Living Color. Although she doesn't watch much TV, she has seen episodes of recent dance shows. Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance are very popular. They have brought the dance world to center stage. Then, football player Emmitt Smith won Dancing with the Stars. He made the world see that it was cool for men to dance, too.

Many of the dancing and singing stars got their starts on television as well. Britney Spears was a young dancer and gymnast. In 1993, she began appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club show. That same TV show also introduced Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. All three of these singers have gone on to be huge stars.

Although she is an accomplished dancer herself, Carolyn has never been on TV. She mostly does competitive dancing in more traditional forms, such as ballet. Ballet is the art form which kick-started the career of another famous dancer: Madonna. She started out as a ballerina with the hope of becoming a professional dancer. Although she didn't stick with ballet, Madonna was discovered in a club. The rest is history.

Carolyn hopes to have her own success story one day. For now, she is one of the top young dancers in America. What does the future hold for Carolyn? The answers are linked to her past.