--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was young, I put on performances…" description: "\"When I was young, I put on performances for my family and my parents where I would dance like a woman, singing a really exaggerated woman's vocal in fr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg" --- # When I was young, I put on performances for my family and… ![“When I was young, I put on performances for my family and my parents where I would dance like a woman, singing a really exaggerated woman's vocal in front of my whole family.” quote by Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg) > “When I was young, I put on performances for my family and my parents where I would dance like a woman, singing a really exaggerated woman's vocal in front of my whole family.” [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on early gender‑fluid performances, highlighting personal expression and family dynamics. **In simple terms:** Early performances explored gender and identity. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic self‑expression. Themes identity self‑expression family gender performance Mood reflective introspective Type personal narrative cultural commentary When to use this quote - coming out - stage performance - family gatherings - personal storytelling Key Concepts gender fluidity performance art family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How did family reactions shape your identity? - What does performance mean for self‑acceptance? A Different Perspective Societal expectations may limit acceptance of non‑conforming expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dance Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance-like/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-dance-2580716/) [Performances Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances-family-2580715/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Singing Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing-really-492892/) [Vocal Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocal-family-2580717/) [Whole family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-family/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) ## Related quotes > [My mother's brother, my uncle, was an actor, quite well known in the West End. He used to come over to our house, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonoya-mizuno/my-mother-s-brother-my-uncle-was-an-actor-quite-well-known-in-the/) [Sonoya Mizuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonoya-mizuno/) > [Why can't parents dance? Is it some universal law of physics or something?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/why-can-t-parents-dance-is-it-some-universal-law-of-physics-or/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [A real active music set, based and really concentrated on what the music's all about. That's what I'm all about - singing and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/a-real-active-music-set-based-and-really-concentrated-on-what-the/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [What I like about playing America is you can be pretty sure you're not going to get hit with a full can of beer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-like-about-playing-america-is-you-can-be-pretty-sure-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We influence singing but never really songwriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-king/we-influence-singing-but-never-really-songwriting/) [Charles King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-king/) > [I think, in general, I find writing to be very therapeutic and singing in itself to be really therapeutic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-think-in-general-i-find-writing-to-be-very-therapeutic-and-singing/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [I've been singing for a really long time and I love a lot of genres, but country just seemed like the best fit. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-pieterse/i-ve-been-singing-for-a-really-long-time-and-i-love-a-lot-of-genres/) [Sasha Pieterse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-pieterse/) > [I have to thank the fans very much for singing my name. Really, I respect it a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-salah/i-have-to-thank-the-fans-very-much-for-singing-my-name-really-i/) [Mohamed Salah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-salah/) > [Singing really oxygenates your blood. You stretch your lungs and take in much more air into them than before. It's really good for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-tomei/singing-really-oxygenates-your-blood-you-stretch-your-lungs-and-take/) [Marisa Tomei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-tomei/) > [When I was a preteen, I got into singing, and became really obsessed with it. But then, of course, that didn't work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seyfried/when-i-was-a-preteen-i-got-into-singing-and-became-really-obsessed/) [Amanda Seyfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seyfried/) > [I grew up in an extremely musical atmosphere. There was a lot of music and singing around. I never really thought about one not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hampson/i-grew-up-in-an-extremely-musical-atmosphere-there-was-a-lot-of-music/) [Thomas Hampson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hampson/) > [My singing is really important to me, but when children come along they'll be my main focus. I'd never put my career in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/my-singing-is-really-important-to-me-but-when-children-come-along/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I used to have a fear of singing. It was something I never really liked very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-martin/i-used-to-have-a-fear-of-singing-it-was-something-i-never-really/) [Stacy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-martin/) > [Singing didn't really come naturally to me, I don't think. I had to really work at it. I just kept singing. I never was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-odell/singing-didn-t-really-come-naturally-to-me-i-don-t-think-i-had-to/) [Tom Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-odell/) > [My singing really seemed to connect with people, and it ended up as my main career, which I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/my-singing-really-seemed-to-connect-with-people-and-it-ended-up-as-my/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) ## More by Arca > [We try and banish whole inner realms. Sometimes, you have to touch the thing inside you're most afraid of and see what happens when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/we-try-and-banish-whole-inner-realms-sometimes-you-have-to-touch-the/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [If you try and kind of focus on hope, but you know what it's like to be in the dark, then hope is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/if-you-try-and-kind-of-focus-on-hope-but-you-know-what-it-s-like-to/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [It struck me at some point that the things I wanted to say had to be wordless. I had to renounce words in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/it-struck-me-at-some-point-that-the-things-i-wanted-to-say-had-to-be/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [When I work with other people, I have to try to make their vision happen. With my own, I don't think about it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-i-work-with-other-people-i-have-to-try-to-make-their-vision/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [When I sit down to make music, I try to enter a flow; I always open a blank session and just make something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-i-sit-down-to-make-music-i-try-to-enter-a-flow-i-always-open-a/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [It's not about living my life as a boy or a girl - but I'm also not trans - it's just that one day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/it-s-not-about-living-my-life-as-a-boy-or-a-girl-but-i-m-also-not/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [There has to be an entry point to learn about myself, or an idea I've never tried, because then I can try on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/there-has-to-be-an-entry-point-to-learn-about-myself-or-an-idea-i-ve/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [With 'Lonely Thug,' I constructed a fantasy character who was very masculine and strong and almost threatening, but his demeanor belied some complication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/with-lonely-thug-i-constructed-a-fantasy-character-who-was-very/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [You might be raised as a boy in a very conservative environment and then somehow, at some point, there was a side of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/you-might-be-raised-as-a-boy-in-a-very-conservative-environment-and/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [There's something in glitchy music that I like to get lost in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/there-s-something-in-glitchy-music-that-i-like-to-get-lost-in/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [I do love voices so much that I will use them and manipulate them. The presence of a human voice in a piece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/i-do-love-voices-so-much-that-i-will-use-them-and-manipulate-them-the/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [The first CD I bought was Brandy and Monica's 'The Boy Is Mine.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/the-first-cd-i-bought-was-brandy-and-monica-s-the-boy-is-mine/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [I try to get my subconscious to puke out as much stuff as I can because I'm really not judging myself while making music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/i-try-to-get-my-subconscious-to-puke-out-as-much-stuff-as-i-can/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [I think, with every kind of creature and every kind of human, there is no better. We're all just mutations, and I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/i-think-with-every-kind-of-creature-and-every-kind-of-human-there-is/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [I think for the longest time I used to be kind of embarrassed that if I hung out with someone that had a really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/i-think-for-the-longest-time-i-used-to-be-kind-of-embarrassed-that-if/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) [Explore all 83 Arca quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) ## More Dance quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [I like Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. I love pop music, but I also like Sam Smith's slow songs. That would be more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddie-ziegler/i-like-sam-smith-and-taylor-swift-i-love-pop-music-but-i-also-like/) [Maddie Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddie-ziegler/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [My body was so instrumental to how I took pictures: it was practically a dance. I used to use my legs a lot; now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/my-body-was-so-instrumental-to-how-i-took-pictures-it-was-practically/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/if-you-dance-you-dance-because-you-have-to-every-dancer-hurts-you-know/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-du-beke/being-fit-is-the-easiest-part-of-being-a-dance-professional-i-used-to/) [Anton du Beke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-du-beke/) > [I'm a horrible dancer, but I wanted to record songs that made me want to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lane/i-m-a-horrible-dancer-but-i-wanted-to-record-songs-that-made-me-want/) [Chris Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lane/) [Browse all 9,682 Dance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was young, I put on performances for my family and my parents where I would dance like a woman, singing a really exaggerated woman's vocal in front of my whole family.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arca" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-for-my-family-and-my-parents/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-for-my-family-and-my-parents/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/arca-8148_dance_when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-f_1870846.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was young, I put on performances for my family and my parents where I would dance like a woman…” — Arca", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arca", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was young, I put...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-for-my-family-and-my-parents/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-i-was-young-i-put-on-performances-for-my-family-and-my-parents/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```