Magnificent
June 28, 2009 – 1:06 amOn Friday evening, I put away the Random Citizen moniker for a few hours to put on a new persona — Hot Chocolate.
That was the name my fellow dancers called me during last week’s recital prep session and I loved it so much, I went with it.
Friday was a long day, mostly because I was such a bundle of nerves the previous night that I didn’t sleep as well as I could have. Throughout the day, I would look at my work computer’s clock and think “8 ’til the recital…7 hours…” Once it was time to leave work, it really became front of mind that in a matter of hours, I would be performing for a small audience of friends and loved ones in the dance studio space.
Upon arriving home, I took a few minutes to meditate. It was in place of the usual stretching and meditation session that Amy does during our classes. It was a great way to center myself and prepare for the evening.
After changing into part of my dance outfit — covered by a dress with the rest in my bag — I headed to the studio. As I got closer to the studio, my nerves started to act up. Nothing too serious, mostly because I kept saying to myself, “There’s no going back now! We’re almost there!”
As the other women performing arrived, we hugged and detailed our nervousness to one another. At the same time, there was an air of excitement. The event started and the dancers cheered one another on in addition to our audience of friends and loved ones.
My costume for the performance finally came together Thursday evening as I started to finalize what exactly I wanted to wear out of all the items I’d purchased.
Soon, it was my turn to go behind the curtain and prepare to make my entrance and perform my dance. I took a few more deep breaths, did some little stretches and then focused myself. Amy called me to the stage and I walked onto the floor for my performance. The first song was “Bad Girl” by Madonna, which was followed by “Southside Lowdown” by the Lo-Fidelity All-Stars featuring Greg Dulli. “Bad Girl” was the song that came to me first when I was thinking about dance music. I also knew I wanted to dance to something a bit faster and loved the groove on “Southside Lowdown.”
I kept eye contact with the crowd as much as possible. I believe I even smiled at times. My focus was on listening to the music and letting it guide me through the movements. When my music ended, I smiled as I heard cheers from the crowd. I took a deep breath, collected my tips, and returned to the backstage area for a quick recovery before reemerging to catch up with my friends and watch the other dancers.
Although I experienced some sore muscles upon waking on Saturday, it was definitely worth it. It was a simply amazing night with a great group of women. Here we all were, from different backgrounds, but we had a lot of similar traits to our stories. I was very fortunate to meet these women at this time in my life.
My level 2 class ends in a few weeks, but I’m already thinking about taking it again. This journey so far has led me to appreciate not only myself and what my body can do, but to also appreciate dance and movement again. For a long time, I just danced because that’s what one did to music you liked. I’ve become a better listener, which has allowed me to coordinate my body movements even more to the rhythm.
Will I perform again? At this point, all I can say is “Never say never.”
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2 Responses to “Magnificent”
*an enthusiastic standing ovation*
By Amy H on Jun 28, 2009
*curtsies*
Thank you!
By DimpleAndASmirk on Jun 28, 2009