“Don’t follow your dreams, chase them,” sophomore Madison Carter understands this as well as anyone.

Madison Carter has immersed herself into the world of dance. She was given a platform to do what she loves by being born into a family of dancers; Her grandma is a former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader who now coaches the renowned team while owning a dance studio. And many of her relatives dance professionally, such as her talented cousin Rumer Noel, with a following of almost sixty thousand on Instagram. But it is what she has done with that platform that has led to her success.

“I was born into a family of dance,” Madison said. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been around people who has dedicated a ton of their life to dance so it made me wanna do the same.”

Madison has been dancing since she was two, and now practices 10-15 hours a week. She still views mostly every second spent at the studio with gratitude.

“The studio gives really positive energy, it always puts me in a good mood,” Madison said. “It also keeps me occupied and gives me something to do and look forward to on the weekends, rather than sitting at home.”

The social aspect is another major part of dance; something Madison and her family are no stranger to. But outside of interaction with the media, Madi has created experiences with other dancers that she holds close to her heart.

“My childhood best friends were people I met from dance, and they’re people I’ll always be close with,” Madison said. “Dance also forces me to be around people with different cultures and lifestyles and it’s an eye opener because you get to see their different perspectives.”

Despite the overall positive impact dance has had on Madi, there are still negatives- like there are with anything.

“In dance you sometimes have to do things that make you uncomfortable and experiment a lot and it can be stressful,” Madison said. “Dance is also really hard on your body; you get sore a lot and some not-so-pretty bruises.”

Because Madi has persevered through these issues, she’s gotten far as a dancer and will only get better from here. She’s won many awards and scholarships and is looked up to by many.

“I hope to continue dancing in college and at least minor in it because I don’t want to stop,” Madison said. “And after college I hope to make a career out of it by becoming a teacher or something of that matter.”

It is important to be aware of the work required to achieve your dreams; that is a strong point for Madison.

“Just like anything in life, you have to put in a lot of work; you can’t just do it for a day and make real progress, you have to work really hard for long periods of time to be good. My advice is to not give up, even when you really want to because that’s when you get better.”