This week the Pine Needle is featuring the writing of a couple Cobbler students who have described one of the most beautiful places they have experienced.

by: Kyrie Murrie

I’m walking through Times Square pushing through all the people as fast as I can; my destination is a few blocks away. As I turn onto 45^th street I spot the red sign that says “Broadway Dance Center” in bold, white letters. I open the door to the building that holds the world famous dance studios and spot the elevator. As the elevator rises so does my heart beat. When the door opens I can feel the passion and desire that drive a dancer to be the best that they can be. I sign up for the class that I am going to be taking, beginning ballet, and they hand me my card and tell me my class will be in studio one. Holding the little piece of shiny plastic was exhilarating. It made me feel official.

The class I was in was all ages, and there were guys! I had never taken a ballet class with guys, but I had never taken a ballet class at the Broadway Dance Center. We started with barre exercises, which I was used to from Pure Form, but at Broadway Dance Center it was taken to another level. I fought through the pain by focusing on outside: there was an alley, and across from us was a brick wall. It made me think that only in New York City would there be a huge, world famous dance studio on the third floor of a nondescript building.

New York City itself was a beautiful, bustling city, but being in a dance studio where some of the best dancers learn from some of the best teachers is a beautiful thing to a small city dancer like me. The memory of this amazing dance experience will always remain with me and those that I hope to make when I return to the most beautiful place in America.

• Photo from the Broadway Dance Center