I still can't believe that it happened. All these years and she retired. I guess I still haven't grasped the entirety of it quite yet.

For almost twelve years I have been doing ballet with the same company and same teacher. On Tuesday, I got news that I did not expect to hear for a couple of years.

Hanneke is retiring.

That sentence is one I hoped not to write for at least two years. I guess that it's just been a major shock and I just still can't believe it.

For years, I have looked up to Hanneke, complained about her hard classes and prospered from her teaching.

She's like my ballet mother. After any break, I can always count on her to be there with a smile. Then, she'll proceed to push me harder than I could ever push myself.

Sure, she's been injured plenty of times before. This time, it's different.

She isn't allowed to even walk because otherwise all the blood flows to her foot and stays there. There's just no way possible she can teach.

Words just can't really describe how much Hanneke means to me and how much I will miss her classes.

She's my only ballet teacher and I'm really going to miss her classes.