Dance to Survive by Miranda Smith

 Let's talk Miss Kansas. It is a state preliminary to get the title and job of Miss Kansas to go on to compete for the title and job of Miss America. It is a group of elite young women who uplift each other.  Now you may be wondering how I got involved with this organization. It was all thanks to my teammates who were either still in or have been a part of the organization when I was on the Wichita Force Dance Team. I won't go into much detail about the Wichita Force, due to their reputation not being the best, but at that time being on that team really pulled me out of a rut I was in.  I went through a rough break up with my first love in January of 2021. It was horrific to experience. I felt used, disgusted, and I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror due to what had transpired. This was one of my experiences that led me down some dark thoughts. Long story short, all the blame was placed on me due to his family taking his side because I am a woman and in his religi...

  Welcome to Dance to Survive! My name is Miranda Smith and this is my project/organization that I have created to promote my social impact initiative for the Miss America Organization. Now why did I pick this as my initiative? Mental health is more prevalent than ever due to the ever growing aspects of social media and comparative culture. As a dancer, I know that dance is a way for me to release all my negative emotions into something that is beautiful. I also have seen through my job as a dance teacher that dance can open doors to conversations that would not happen otherwise. This is why I created Dance to Survive.  I struggled with suicidal thoughts and ideologies twice in my life, and I want people to know that this doesn't define them and that they are not crazy. I'm using this project as a way to connect with others on a deeper level and to show that there are healthy ways to cope with negative thoughts. If it isn't dance, then it can be art, music, poetry, you nam...