So You Think You Can't Dance?

I discovered my love for acting in 2007. I was in the 7th Grade and it was my first year at a new school. Auditions were held for the play, Sinbad. Auditions were compulsory for the Grade 7 class and if this wasn't the case I don't think I would have ever tried out or discovered my passion for the theatre. I remember standing on this foreign stage (little did I know, that stage would become home to me for the next 5 years) and faced my new classmates and a very scary Drama teacher. I mumbled the first few lines and before I knew it, I realised that this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I landed the part of the evil villain, Al Capone, and what followed was not only a month of rehearsals and a week of productions, but a passion for acting. When I stood on that stage and I escaped to the characters' worlds, I felt at home.

After Grade 7, I moved into the High School section of the school that I was currently at. I performed in many school productions and I loved every minute of it. In my last two years at school I was taught by a very special and talented woman who became more than just a teacher to me - she became a friend and someone I would always admire. She built me up, she supported me and she encouraged me. It was under her influence that I decided that I would take Drama as one of my University subjects. There was only one problem - dance.

I hate dance. I love to watch it and I wish I could do it, but I simply cannot. At least this is the impression I was under up until about 2 months ago.

Much to my relief, I did not have to dance or partake in Movement during my High School Drama career. During High School I was confident and I was at home within the Drama department. I had good, solid relationships with the people involved in the department and I knew where my strengths lay.

When I arrived at University, I was terrified of enrolling in the Drama course. I would have to do an entire semester of Movement with people I did not know and my beloved High School teacher was not here to help me through any of it. How would I cope?

Let me tell you something, I didn't think I would cope! I arrived at my first Movement class with tears in my eyes and feeling more uncomfortable in my own skin than I had in a long while. I repeated the same prayer again and again; "Lord, please let this be alright. Please Lord, I don't want to be humiliated."

My first Movement class was terrible. And so were the next few after that, but after a while I realized that I could actually do this. I was not brilliant, but I was no where near as bad as I thought I would be. I would manage to do a lift with a partner and as he set me down, I realized I was smiling like an idiot because I could actually do this.

I have my first Movement exam next week Monday and I can proudly and confidently say that I am looking forward to it. I am not embarrassed of my body or the way it moves. I have accomplished so much more in the last 3 months that I ever would have thought possible. I did not get to this place without the occasional break down or "I should just drop this course" thought, and I will happily admit that, because I have learned that anything is possible, sometimes all it takes is a giant leap of faith (thank you Lord) and a great pair of Movement pants!