Waiting

Anticipation

Adrenaline

Shaking

This is how a performer feels onstage

When you find joy and comfort in the spotlight

When two minutes feels like two seconds

You don’t notice the crowd

You don’t hear them

You don’t see them

It’s just you

You and your passion

I put in hours of practice

Always perfecting my skills

I’m often asked why

Why I give up my life to practice and perfect

My response is always the same

Every skill learned

Every step I take

Is for me alone

It’s not for others to see

When the music blares in your ears

When your muscles ache and burn

When your lungs are on fire

You don’t notice the exhaustion until it is done

In that moment

Nothing else matters

It’s just me

My music

My craft

I’m free

Unburdened

With no worries or fear

I don’t think

My story doesn’t require spoken words

All I need

Is my emotions

My story

And my soul

My movements tell the words

The music sets the tone

When combined as one

A unique story unfolds

All of these feelings

The emotions

The passion

The excitement

The fear

My tale is told

The story is closed

The crowd applauds

The curtain falls

I walk off the stage

The exhaustion hits

My face is red

My hair is a mess

My body shakes

My skin is soaked with sticky sweat

In the end

I wouldn’t change a thing

Because all of that stuff

Happened in just two minutes

When I dance

Onstage in the blinding lights

Time slows to a stop

Because when you’re dancing onstage

You’re frozen in time