Thursday night was D-Day. Well, more accurately, P-Day—the night of our first performance for the Winter Salsa Carnival pre-party. We got there 4 hours early to run through tech rehearsal, and do hair and makeup. I never realized how much detail actually goes on behind the scenes in terms of costume and preparation.

I never thought myself to be the performer type. I mean I get up in front of a class or a crowd at a nightclub all the time to teach lessons, but to me there’s a big difference between teaching and performing. However, after months of practice, I knew the choreography and music inside out, and this was as prepared as I’d ever be. As I stepped out into the crowd, I felt nervous but ready. All my senses felt super heightened. I could hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears. We didn’t get off to a good start as the music didn’t queue in properly, but I managed to catch up with the music. I could see all the smiling faces in the audience, and hear people shouting my name. I tried to spot a familiar face in the crowd so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and looking at her made me feel grounded. When the dance was over, I felt like I was on a high. It wasn’t perfect, but I was more overcome with the happiness of actually making it through, and knowing I gave it my best.
The best part of it all was that I put my fear behind me, and that’s more than I could ever ask for.
We perform again on Friday and I can’t wait!

Photos from the actual performance:

Pictures from the photoshoot:

Finally...here's the video: