Clarity Through Kindness with Gina Hazel Rodriguez

Photo: Shannon Dodge

@hazeldancer5678

"Despite being born blind in my left eye, my passion for ballet has driven me to work very hard."
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​Hazel Rodriguez was very timid in her early childhood. She often struggled to express her thoughts and feelings with words. She started dance classes at age 4, enjoying jazz, tap, ballet, and acro. Eventually she decided to focus mainly on ballet. The ability to dance out a story and be on stage helped her be more comfortable socially. 

She started dancing Pointe at age 9; and now at age 10 she has already had the opportunity to do performances with the professional dance company, Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida. She learned a lot from the professional dancers, such as stage make-up tips and pointe shoe hacks and preparations for performances. Dance brought Hazel out of her shell. 

​She has learned important life skills from dance, such as working hard, staying focused, time management, and the importance of nutrition. Dance has taught her perseverance. It has taught her that she can do things she didn't think she could. 

She was born partially blind in her left eye, so she mostly relies on what she "feels" both physically with her feet and emotionally when she dances. Her condition, called refractive amblyopia, makes anything in the distance look like blurry shadows and colors. She has a special contact lens that helps bring clarity to closer objects. 

“I want everyone who feels that they can’t do something because of a ‘disability’ to know that yes, you can. It may be a bit more of a challenge to do, but if I can, so can you,” she says. “Anything is possible if you are willing to work hard for it and not make excuses.”

The biggest lesson she has learned in ballet has been that not everyone is nice or supportive.

“Many want to tear you down, especially if they feel threatened by your abilities,” she says. She experienced bullying at her ballet school at the age of 9 by an older girl who was 12. She did not understand what was happening. She kept quiet about the verbal abuse she was suffering for over 2 months. 

“When I finally told my mom, she addressed it with the school and thankfully it got sorted out.” Her self-esteem plummeted, though, and she started developing social anxiety and becoming angry. 

​Her and her mom decided to open a non-profit organization called The M.I.N.C. Project where they are trying to promote that it is not cool to be mean. She created the hashtag #meannessisnotcool. (M.I.N.C) and has an Instagram page, @themincproject.

“Mean and rude people have taught me to stand up for myself. I firmly believe that I will have success in anything I decide to do and still be kind to others.”