I was far from being a star performer and if I was tall enough, I probably wouldn't have known what it felt like to be placed in front.
“Alright, Shining stars! From the top!” Bernard, our choreographer beckoned.
With sweat trickling down my spine, I stood in position, ready to practise the dance steps for the umpteenth time.
There was a lot to admire during rehearsal but one very outstanding figure of admiration was the choreographer. Bernard was a very jovial young man. He had a dark skin tone with neatly trimmed beards. It was normal to find female choreographers at the time but male choreographers were rare, yet, we had one.
Our big performance was in two days and this was our very last rehearsal before the big day. As such, we had to practice rigorously. After practice that day, we spoke briefly on the attire we would be wearing and the formation with which we would assess the stage.
We were a total of twelve dancers and if you know anything about dancing, you would attest to the fact that the best dancers were usually placed in the first two rows, irrespective of their heights.
However, I was placed on the second row. Not because I could recollect my dance steps properly, but because I was a short six year old who could easily vanish in the midst of huge teenagers.
The day for the major performance came upon us and we all gathered backstage to do a quick rehearsal before we went on stage. On gathering, we realised that we were incomplete. Eva, the star performer, was absent.
Our choreographer, alongside everyone who had a mobile device, tried calling her but to no avail. Panic set in at this point.
With Eva absent, we were down to eleven dancers. This altered our initial standing positions because we could not stand in threes as we initially agreed to do.
By the skin of the teeth, we changed formation. I was moved to the front row and the other dancers stood in groups of four. The initial 3-3-3-3 formation was changed to 3-4-4.
With Eva absent and me in her original position, I began fidgeting. What if messed up? What if I missed a step and ended up looking lost on the stage with over a thousand viewers?
“Okay shining stars, you are going to go in there and amaze the audience.” Bernard touted. “Wongi, I know this is your first time on the big stage but as the youngest dancer, all eyes will be on you. Give it your best.” Bernard concluded as he placed a hand on my right shoulder and squeezed tightly.
All I could feel was a rush of adrenaline and the squeeze wasn't comforting in the slightest. Silently, I prayed that everything went well.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the shining stars” the Master of ceremonies announced and I could hear the applause from the backstage.
As the hall quieted down, our music rolled in. On cue, we all ran in from different wings of the stage and stood in position. As the first verse of the song began, we started dancing.
One. Two. One two three. I kept pacing myself and trying not to make visible mistakes. From time to time, I stole a glance at the dancer beside me to check if I was still on track. All this while, I wore a very big smile as I avoided eye contact with anyone in the audience.
In less than five minutes, we were done and all I could hear were loud and cheerful sounds. Some people whistled while others clapped heartily in appreciation of our performance. We took a bow before exiting the stage.
As I returned backstage, a good number of people came around to adulate me for an exceptional performance. This was my very first taste of dance victory. After the performance, I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that I was an exceptional dance prodigy.
This was how I became the first child to dance with teenagers and adults on a few occasions. This in itself was a thing of great esteem.
Images used belong to me and were taken with my mobile device except stated otherwise.
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