Bold Moves (Touchdown Edition)

Chapter 1: Magic Slippers

Dance is defined as the rhythmic movement of one's body in a pattern, often to the accompaniment of music. For those who love it, though, dance is so much more than that. Accurately defining dance with words is nearly impossible. That's because there is no exact science to it--no specific set of rules to apply and no unit of measurement available to analyze its principles. There is only the heart and soul of a dancer, which speak to onlookers in a language as old as humankind: the language of love.

Dance is an art form. It's a physical expression of deep thoughts and feelings. When performed well, the movements of a dancer's body are as emotional as they are physical. Great dancers often talk about feeling the music inside of them as they create movements that belong to the music. When executed with this type of passion, dance is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

From the time she could walk, Carolyn Lamour was drawn to this beauty like a moth to a flame. The beat of an imaginary drum pounded within her, and the echo of every song she'd ever heard reverberated in her head. 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 take ownership of the beat and to express herself through dance overwhelmed her.

At just three years old, Carolyn found an outlet for her passion. Each night after dinner, she would sneak into her 17-year-old cousin Patricia's room a few minutes before the teenager's ballet lesson. It was in that room, under their grandparents' roof, where Carolyn witnessed something that changed her world permanently.

In front of a full-length mirror, with music blasting in the background, Patricia would perform an amazing ceremony. First, she would put on a beautiful, sparkly leotard that made her look like Cinderella. Next, she would put her hair up in an elegant bun and secure it with a matching pink ribbon. Finally, she'd slip into an incredible pair of dainty, 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 wood floor with grace and ease. The world seemed to stand still in these moments. Carolyn would climb onto Patricia's bed and stare at her in awe. Nothing else existed... There was only Patricia, those slippers and the movements she seemed to perform so naturally. From the first time Carolyn witnessed the beauty of this dance, she knew that one day, she, too, would be a dancer.

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

Carolyn is similar to many other great dancers, those who were never formally introduced to dance, but from a young age simply felt like they had to dance. For these natural-born dancers, moving to the beat was something they did simply because it felt right. This is the way superstar 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 or contrived."

Jennifer Lopez, also known as J-Lo, is a world-renowned entertainer with a career rooted in dance. Wherever she performs, people are compelled to watch her, amazed that the human body can be so graceful, dynamic and alluring at the same time. J-Lo makes dancing look like the most natural thing in the world--because for her, it is. 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 to energize the dance world. Her versatile career as an entertainer is unmatched, with huge successes as an actress, dancer and singer. J-Lo has not only danced in her many music videos, but also in major films such as Selena and Shall We Dance. In 2007, she diversified her career even further, becoming the executive producer of the MTV reality show Dance Life. This show depicts the real-life trials and tribulations of dancers trying to make it as professionals in Hollywood--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 alludes to above, the life of a dancer can be very hard. Carolyn understands this better than anyone. As a competitive dancer, she knows all about the long, hard hours of training, the intensity of auditions and the frustration you feel when you are not selected. After years of dancing, Carolyn is well aware of the hard road ahead of her. Professional dancing jobs are few and far between, so the pay is erratic. For every dancer that makes a living through her art form, hundreds of others are forced to quit after years of floundering from job to job. To succeed as a dancer, you have to love it and be willing to stick with it.

J-Lo was forced to stay with a career that seemed to be stuck in neutral for almost 20 years. She could have easily become discouraged and quit before she became the megastar she is today. Aside from a few paying jobs here and there, her career didn't really take off until about 10 years ago.

On her MTV show, she is often seen auditioning dancers, a process she remembers well. J-Lo got her first break at age 21 when she was cast as a "Fly Girl," dancing at the beginning and end of each episode of the 1990's TV comedy In Living Color. This job didn't pay much, and certainly didn't offer any guarantees of career longevity. 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 have much time available to watch TV at all, she has seen a few episodes of some more recent dance shows. Shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance have brought the dance world to center stage. In 2006, professional football player Emmitt Smith did for ballroom dancing what Mikhail Baryshnikov once did for ballet. When Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time rushing leader, won Dancing with the Stars, he made the world see that it was cool for men to dance, too.

It's interesting to note that many of the dancing and singing stars we see today got their starts on television shows as well. Britney Spears took dance and gymnastics lessons from a young age and performed in many local dance reviews. In 1993, she caught a break and began appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club show. That same TV show introduced a few other budding young stars: Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera both appeared onstage with Britney. All three of these singers have gone on to be huge stars. They all began their careers as teenage dancers who could sing. Ironically, each of them is now known for being a singer who can dance.

Although she is an accomplished dancer herself, Carolyn has never been on TV. Her career path has consisted mostly of competitive dancing in more traditional forms, such as ballet. Ballet is the art form which kick-started the career of another famous dancer: Madonna. The "Material Girl" started out as a ballerina, attending the University of Michigan on a dance scholarship. A few years later, she moved to New York with the hope of becoming a professional ballet dancer on Broadway. Although she didn't stick with ballet, Madonna was discovered in a New York club, while she was singing and dancing with the band Emmy. The rest is history.

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