From: Claire, Pri 5, Methodist Girls’
Dear dancer Justina,
I have never thought that someone could start dancing at three! That is a really young age to start dancing. I can understand that at that time, you did not know if you liked it. Still, I am glad you persevered to get to where you are now. I honestly think that robots are not as a good dancer as human beings as like you. People need passion to start dancing. Unlike robots, people have joy while dancing and need hard work to pull it off. Robots have no feelings and no emotions in dancing and are not even human beings! Therefore, I understand when you say that you will never let a robot steal the joy you get as a dancer. I hope you continue to enjoy dancing and wish you joy in dancing!
From: Emily, Pri 4, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’
Dear Miss Justina,
Reading about your dance story really inspires me! Your passion for dance is truly remarkable! Even though you had knee surgery, you did not stop dancing. Most people would have stopped, but you persevered. Even when it was not going to be your profession, and you decided to focus on your studies in high school, you still found time for dancing. You did not let these challenges stop you from dancing, and you didn’t just dance for awards and medals but purely out of your love of dance. I agree that a robot can never steal the joy of a human dancer.
From: Kate, Pri 5, Methodist Girls’ School
Dear dancer Justina,
When I started dancing, I was only four and I only found passion in ballet. As I grew up, I realised that there were many other genres of dance and decided to try them out. When I was 7, I decided to try Hip Hop and I loved it. Until now, I still do Hip Hop and I still love it. Now, I even take part in competitions, sometimes in Singapore, sometimes in other countries.
I dance with a few different crews from different dance schools. Sometimes, I face a huge dilemma during competitions if both my crews are competing in the same competitions. I think this is because of two reasons. Firstly, the dances from my two crews are very different and I always get afraid that I would forget steps from my dance routines. Secondly, the change of costumes are always very big. The costumes and hairstyles for one group are very complicated whereas for the other group, they are very simple and comfortable.
From: Emmalyn, Pri 5, Methodist Girls’ School
Dear dancer Justina,
I think that I relate to you very much! I am also a dancer, I started dancing at three, like you. I also didn’t feel that I liked dancing at that time.
Starting off, it was rough. Students around me were extremely talented, I couldn’t pick up steps well, my technique was wrong, and I was absolutely clueless. I felt helpless and overwhelmed, I thought I could never do it. Even when I grew older and got a little better, I still didn’t really feel confident. Some people are strong, but not flexible. Some are flexible, but not strong, like me. Things that l did needed both: jazz, ballet, acrobatics, and lyrical. All of these needed new and different traits that got harder each time. This almost made me quit.
But of course, I learned to be patient. I started trying harder in class, focusing and practicing diligently. Only from that point on did I slowly realise why I love dance. Why didn’t I just dance because I needed to? I danced because I wanted to. I really honestly agree with you. Robots should never take away the love of dance from the world. They don’t have feelings so they can’t feel the love of dance like we do. Robots may have perfected the moves by computer intelligence, but we have perfected the moves by years of hard work. I really admire how you persevered through difficulties throughout your life, and I hope I can make good decisions and hopefully be successful like you in the future!