Have you ever been not nervous at all ? but your hands starts to shake your legs start to shake then suddenly start to have sweaty palms & lastly start to overthink? Well let me tell you it was my first time auditioning to be part of a well-known dance group. This was based in Harlem on the west side. I was in school That Friday and was so excited I told all my friends even teachers!. Dismissal was at 2:30 PM throughout the day I got distracted a few times To the point I forgot I had audition later Till it was my last period. And that’s when I started to feel butterflies in my stomach not the butterflies that you get when you see a cute boy that you like but The feeling of butterflies you get when you’re really nervous filled with anxiety.
FINALLY, dismissal 2:30 PM, leaving out of class me and my friends walked into our lockers getting our stuff as we had our way down I gave them hugs and left because I had to make it to the audition on time. I never been in this area before so me traveling by myself was a challenge but I had my phone so I was pretty okay. As I was on the train it took at least 30 minutes to reach Harlem New York. Â Still butterflies still nervous still shaking not that anyone notices. Plugged in my headphones trying to keep my mind off the feeling instead of my leg shaking it was moving to the beat of the song i was listening to. After I got off I had to transfer to the bus it was very difficult for me. you know that feeling when you get lost you actually stop at a random corner and debate if you should ask someone or just use your phone ? Yeah that was me looking very lost.
4:30pm , I made it !! As I walked in inside i saw a bunch of teenagers just like me and even little kids younger than me and the pressure was on. I had no choice but to ask one of the adults when are they opening the doors and said in 15 minutes. As I was standing alone I was wondering why i didn’t come with anyone but to think I may have friends deep deep inside I actually wanted to be alone because even coming with anyone really doesn’t boost up my confidence but myself. Hearing the sound of the door clicking open I knew it was time me slowly walking behind others up the stairs to get inside the studio. I walked to a corner where no one else was and i placed my stuff there and sat down on the floor criss  cross apple sauce. Dance teacher tells us info about what will be happening, how will she be picking those who should be a part of the group,  and what music genre and dance will she be teaching us. It was hip hop to a song called “I’m Good” by blaque. “ATTENTION EVERYONE COME TO THE CENTER OF THE DANCE FLOOR” Yep ! I was nervous but so ready for this.
An hour  later , it was time to dance individually (whew) as i was learning the dance i was having fun because why be so serious ?. Heart starts racing , sweaty palms  & forehead matter of fact just literally everywhere.  As Ms.areglis the dance teacher calls my name on a microphone. I walk nervously to the center. She walks towards me and whisper “you can do it no need to be perfect , you got this” i smiled with  greatness. 5..6……5..6…7…8. Music is LOUD, the base on my small feet, Hands swinging in the air, legs lifting up, elbows swinging right ! Left!.
Next Friday i came back because we had to practice for a Broadway show. Yep you thought right i got in! Overall i learned no matter what you have fear towards it should never stop you from taking steps even if you don’t have much support .
The anticipation, the thrill, the adrenaline I got from reading this is so surreal! I really enjoyed your description and you had me at the edge of my seat. I am happy this is the draft you were talking about and I’m excited to read more and be part of the descriptive journey you have set for this. I used to love to dance and when I read this piece, it made me want to get up and just move my body freely. Can’t wait to see this final piece!
Thank you so much glad you can relate. I loved that you told me how you felt while reading makes me motivated to try and make this a great final draft !!
I liked how you wrote the time as to when everything happened, kind of like a timeline. It really has a begging, middle, and end format which I enjoyed. I liked how you highlighted how you felt in every moment- it’s important because it tells the reader not only what happened but also what you were going through which is a great touch in your writing.
Wow thank you so much nevena really appreciate it , i will continue to do so as well such as the timing in order to make others think and know how i felt and where at the moment
I’m just going to copy/paste what I wrote on Slack :-D. This is wonderful; just needs some tweaking and expansion —
I actually love this, and absolutely agree with what Jamillet said. I think the way you connect this to the idea of an education or literacy narrative might be to talk about how you got to the point where you knew enough, and trust in that knowledge enough, to go audition for something like this. And then what your feelings about that were once you got the part. I mean, you’re almost there anyway with that last line; now can you connect that to a larger idea about learning and trying by adding on a bit about the journey you went through to even get to the point where you felt like you could audition?
Honestly, you’re absolutely literate in your field, so talking about gaining that literacy — that fluency with dance — is absolutely a wonderful way to polish this up for the assignment.