​​Ballet has always been a way for people to express themselves. Ballet dancers like Palo Alto High School seniors Olivia Maggi and Jessica Tam gracefully dance across the stage creating an amazing display of art.

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Maggi and Tam started dance and ballet at a very young age, Maggi at three and Tam at four. Since then Maggi and Tam have both been avid ballet dancers, spending an immense amount of time perfecting their skills.
 

“Ballet requires a lot of effort and discipline, it takes years of training in order to build up your technique and artistry, which usually comes with age and maturity,” Tam said.
 

However both girls take on the challenge and spend most of their time practicing.
 

“Classes are seven days a week and about two hours a day, and rehearsals for shows last all day on the weekend,” Maggi said.
 

As ballet dancers, Maggi and Tam have taken part in many ballets, but each have their own favorite, for Maggi it is The Nutcracker.
 

“[Dance Connection does] it annually and I’ve been in it for about 10 years so it brings up a lot of great memories and its always a fun time,” Maggi said.
 

Tam’s favorite is La Bayadere, choreographed by Marius Petipa.
 

“Everything about [La Bayadere] defines what ballet is all about—the choreography is brilliant, the music is gorgeous,” Tam said. “There’s so much artistry that a dancer can put into it that when it’s danced by an amazing dancer, the show is absolutely breathtaking.”
 

A big part of a ballet are the costumes. Ballerinas tend to sparkle as they move delicately across the stage.
 

“The most common costume for a classical female ballet dancer is a tutu,” Tam said. “[A tutu] consists of a corset/bodice around the midsection and then layers of tulle and other materials that make up the skirt, which can be long or short.”
 

The bigger the headpiece the more important the part is.
 

“Everyone wears tiaras or some kind of headpiece, and the better role you have the bigger and more beautiful you tiara will be,” Maggi said.
 

Another important part of a dancers attire is their shoes.
 

“Female ballet dancers wear pointe shoes, which are a special kind of shoe that allows the dancers to dance on the tips of their toes,” Tam said.
 

For the future, Maggi hopes to take her love for ballet to the next level.
 

“I am going to major in dance in college and I’ve actually been accepted into all of the programs I auditioned for,” Maggi said. “Hopefully after college I will get a dance job, and

eventually my ultimate goal is to open my own dance studio.”
 

Tam on the other hand, is not planning on pursuing ballet as her profession but it will always be a part of her life.
 

“I don’t plan on becoming a professional dancer in the future but I also know that I could never stop dancing,” Tam said. “It’s a huge part of my life—dance is how I get my exercise, relieve my stress and express myself every day.”
 

It is people like Maggi and Tam who bring awareness to a form of art that does not require paper or a pen, but instead the whole body.
 

“[Ballet] is the only art form in which your whole body is involved in telling the story or conveying the emotions of the piece, which makes it so much more special not only to watch, but also to perform,” Tam said.
 

Ballet is an art form that takes determination and the ability to move one’s body in a graceful manner to create something quite beautiful.