When I was 9/10, I found New Kids On The Block and absolutely loved their music. I would play the VHS (yes I am that old haha) of their concert over and over. It was during one of these many viewing moments that I decided to try and learn some of the choreography. I would perform it for family any time they came to visit. That was the day my love of dance was born.
My parents enrolled me in dance classes, disco and majorettes. I loved every second of my classes and soaked it all up. There was just something so amazing about learning new choreography and just letting go and having fun. I picked the routines up quickly and not only did I know the dance for my level, I knew the dances for the levels above me too. Dancing came naturally to me but that doesn't mean I didn't work hard. My high school journey started and I stopped dance class to focus on my education but my love for dance certainly remained.
Fast forward to college and after years of dancing in my room and learning the latest Spice Girls or Steps dance with friends, a new and very exciting opportunity and there was no chance I was letting that slip through my fingers. A family friend put together a small group to perform a show for charity, It was meant to be a one off but as we all had so much fun, we went on to perform again at a night club, again for charity. I was having the best time. The we had the chance of one last show and this was going to be the biggest performance and I was most certainly going to be involved.
At the time I was still in my first year at college, so I would attend college Monday to Friday 0am to 4pm. On a Wednesday evening, we would have 3 hours of rehearsals and the same on a Saturday at the venue. At first it was hard as I would be tired from college but I loved every single second of those rehearsals. To make sure I was fully dance fit, I went to a dance class with my former dance teacher on a Friday night for 90 minutes. So every week I was dancing for 7 and a half hours. I went from a size 16 to a size 12 quickly. A Sunday would be spent with family. A Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night would be for doing course work and seeing family and friends. How I managed to do all that I will never know. There is no way I could do that now!!
It wasn't long before the day of the show arrived. We had one last full run through of the show that afternoon and then it was showtime. I was a nervous wreck but so excited. The large dance floor was in the centre of the room and on three sides of the "stage" was the seating area. We had a crowd of two hundred people. There were no empty seats and it was amazing to see such a great turn out for a great cause. We raised money for the Rottenrow Maternity hospital, the hospital where me and my sister were born. They saved our lives.
For the show we were split into groups. My group performed B*Witched, Steps and Spice Girls numbers and the whole group performed to the Thank ABBA for the music medley and the females all performed to Madonna Like a Prayer. We were nuns - good girls gone bad. The whole evening was magical. The nerves and all our hard work paid off. The show was a massive success,
I will never forget that feeling of the lights hitting me, the music starting and the feeling of being free of any worries. When I dance I am a completely different person. I become confident and the happiness I feel when I dance is evident to those watching. I remember when we were performing Tragedy and I had a second to take in the audience, the smiles on their faces, seeing them dance and sing along was just incredible. It was one of the best nights ever and a dream came true that night - performing on that stage and making people happy. I will never forget it.
