Author's Note: This was an English assignment on a personal narrative. It's about me and my first dance competition. Enjoy!
The dirty gym floor glistened in the flash of cameras and the orange sky of the sickly high school gym lights. I looked to the side and saw the pride of my team mates glisten in their eyes. Feeling my confidence raise as each minute lazily ticked on until the team before us preformed. The giggles and excitement seemed to be contagious as they echoed off the walls. This was our time to shine like stars in the night sky, perfect and magnificent. I tried to concentrate on the dance moves in my head but there was a clutter of thoughts crowding in my head, more coming as each second passed.
It seemed like the past two months had been leading up to this point like a wave finally breaking into alabaster foam. It was our chance to show how much we had put into our dances. We stepped down from our seats on the bleachers and excited the gym. The thirty girls that comprised of my team entered the crowded dimly lite hall. We had spent hours watching other teams show their talent, waiting for our chance to sparkle.
We lined up beside the bleachers in the order of our spots. I could hear the heavy breathing of everyone next to me over the crowd. Our instructor whispered words of encouragement, but I don't think anyone was listening. At least, I wasn't because I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my steady heartbeat. As our instructor passed out the silver and blue hoops for the dance, I told myself that we would do superior, after all we had done the dance multiple times in order to fix the mistakes. I could feel the nerves settle into my stomach and make a home there. I took deep even breaths to make sure I was ready. My palms were sweaty with anxiety, but I still gripped the hoops with enthusiasm. I closed my eyes trying to relax, breathing in the sharp smell of hairspray and spray on glitter.
I opened my eyes once more glancing around. I wasn't alone in my unease, they seemed to be going through the same actions as me. I bite my tongue in frustration, waiting is the worst part. I watched as the line gradually moved forward into the performance area of the gym. I took a step forward, wondering if I should even be here. I concentrate on the girl in front of me as I stepped forward, pondering if I would be proud or ashamed of the next three minutes. Then the clear unmistakable sound of the whistle pierced the cheers of the crowd and began our dance. The music started and seemed to drown out all sounds. The rhythm pounded through my existence like the drum keeps a band on the right beat.
When the music was over and the fat lady sang, so to speak, we felt confident that we were the best. We rushed up to our room to change into our next outfit. Glitter, hairspray, and glee floated through the room. We filed out into the hallway to practice. Not the most beneficial practice area, but it was the best we had. The next dance was our kick and everyone dreaded it because it was the most difficult dance we had. Just like the first time, the music played and I felt entranced. But after it was over we weren?t confident at all. Everyone thought we had done horribly. This time we got to relax before our next dance. We watched a couple performances and the pile onto the bus to go to Taco Bell.
When we got back it was time for our officers to dance. This time we went into a smaller gym and it was packed like sardines. It was humid and we had to sit on the floor. But in the face of adversity you have to persist, so we cheered and cheered when our officers came out.
After that all our dances were done, but we had to stay for the awards ceremony and solos. We were allowed to go wherever we wanted as long as we met in our room at 7 p.m. We decided to watch solos for a little bit then afterwards we went to watch group dances. By that time it was time for us to watch solos from our team in the auditorium. Next our instructor informed us that the award ceremonies were delayed, so we decided to get on the bus and head home. A two hour bus ride home, filled with drama and my mp3 player, later and I was exhausted.
The next day we learned that we had won 1st on both of our dances and our officers had won second for their dance. Plus we won overall best in our division. This is one of my fondest memories, my first dance competition.
Thanks For Sharing My Memory,
Kindell :)
