Emily's+Expressive+and+Reflective

Rockin’ Robin My Mom signed me up for dance lessons when I was three years old and ever since then, dancing has consumed my life. It has been nineteen years since I first set foot on a performance stage for my first dance recital. A huge group of family and friends came out to see me dance to “Rockin’ Robin” by Bobby Day. They had to sit through many different dances before they got to see me perform in my one and only number. I remember feeling like a ballerina in my bright red, sparkly tutu with red feathers in my hair.

As my group and I were standing backstage watching the few dance numbers ahead of us, I started to feel something. There were just minutes to go until I set foot on stage and I realized I had to go to the bathroom. I was only three so this feeling was an emergency. I begged one of the parent volunteers to take me to the bathroom. She warned me that I may miss the beginning of my dance. I was not even thinking about all of the friends and family sitting in multiple rows waiting to see me. The parent volunteer ran me to the bathroom and stripped off my new tights and my red tutu. As I finished up I heard my music starting and without any help I pulled up my tights and costume and ran backstage. Without a thought, I burst on stage right and saw my partner standing there with a confused look on her face, I grabbed her hand and, as my Grandma describes it, whipped and twirled her around. I remember coming on stage and hearing a huge round of applause coming from my “fan club.” My Mom always tells me what she was going through in the audience. When I did not appear on stage with the rest of my class my whole family was on their feet in a panic. They looked back and forth across the stage trying to find my face in the sea of red tutus. When I ran on stage the up roar of cheering was relief coming from, not only my family, but the families behind them who had been struggling to see their own children.

The adrenaline of running on stage and jumping right into the dance without a thought is a feeling I still feed off of every time I perform. Even though I was three and the memories are vague I have watched the video and relived the moment over again in my mind. My first performance experience was classic and my family always tells me that the rest of the dancers were lost until I came on stage and bossed everyone around. I got out there and told them where to stand and what to do. I like to think that was when my bossiness truly began. As a performer I like to see everything go smoothly, and I like the finished product to look perfect. Because of my perfectionist ways I have always fought to be a leader among my fellow dancers and I still tend to be a little bossy. I have learned not to boss people around while on stage, though.

Currently, I am studying dance in college and I continue to perform. Being on stage is a feeling that is hard to put into words. The stage is where all the magic happens. It is a place where I can make my family proud and show others the talent that I have worked so hard on to perfect. Some people say that dance is an escape for them, but I consider it my home. I can always go to dancing and feel happy and comfortable no matter what is going on in my life. I started with a cute dance to Rockin’ Robin, but now I am able to perform dances that tell stories and take audiences on a journey. That is why I love dance so much and I am so grateful that I have done it for so long. There is nothing like telling a story with your body. It has allowed me to explore feelings that I have never experienced before and I have become a more mature person from it.

Nineteen years after Rockin’ Robin, I have become a choreographer and now create my own pieces. I work at a dance studio teaching three year old girls taking their first dance classes just like how I was when I was three. I love seeing all of my students’ families waiting in the audience with their cameras and bouquets of flowers. I am sure there is no prouder moment for parents than seeing their children get on stage and accomplish something that they have worked so hard for. It does not matter if they happen to make a late entrance.

The experience at my first dance recital makes me look at the term “nervous pee”, a lot differently. I am glad I decided to go to the bathroom that night, and miss those few seconds. It is because of that, my first experience on stage is so memorable. Although this story may sound cliché, I look back and think about that memory before I hit the stage. It always brings a smile to my face and helps me remember why I do what I do and why I still perform. Thanks to that first performance, I always allow myself enough time to go to the bathroom before going on stage.