I was backstage getting ready for my tap performance. I’ve been dancing since I was six years old. Twelve years later, here I am, getting ready for my big performance in Broadway.
I was wearing a black leotard and black pants; my hair was tied up in bun. As always my lucky tap shoes making me the best dancer. I was the next one to dance, I was looking for my lucky tap shoes in my bag, I’ve noticed that my shoes were missing, but I thought they were in my other bag. I was getting nervous because I was going to perform in just two minutes. Without my lucky tap shoes I’ll do badly in my dance. I’ve been for about six months preparing for my Broadway performance. I can’t believe my life will get ruined because of my shoes. I need to find them. Thirty seconds til my appearance, I was sweating, my hands were slippery, and everything slipped of my hands.
Everyone backstage was staring at me and was screaming my name for me to hurry. The host was calling my name in the speakers, “Jamie Swan, with her tap performance,” he said repeatedly. I was running everywhere, back and forth and my shoes didn’t appear. I sat in the floor in a corner, I tried to not to cry, but I was so frustrated I started crying and just in seconds my make-up was gone. Tears came from my eyes like water in the Niagara Falls. I couldn’t stop; they kept calling my name through the speakers.
A very tall girl in a white pencil skirt and a red blouse took a paper to the host. He read it silently and then announced, “Susan Williams, dancing ballet.” I stood up and went to look for my things, I decided I should leave. If I wasn’t going to dance with my lucky shoes I wouldn’t dance at all. Crying on my way out, I got my bags and when I was going to open the door the same girl with the red blouse came running after me with my lucky tap shoes. I didn’t know what to say. Should I think she had stolen them or what? She came closer to me and said, “Are these your shoes?” with a soft and nice voice. I couldn’t even talk, I had cried so hard I couldn’t talk. I said yes with my head.
My eyes were blurry; I could see the street from where I was standing. I could see the billboards in Times Square from where I was standing. If I turned around I could see the backstage, girls from all ages getting their make-up on, woman getting the music and the curtains ready to get open. I could also see a fat, bald man in a suit getting ready to announce that the break was coming.
I turned around and kept walking inside the theater, I was wondering if I could do my performance, I didn’t know if I was going to dance, but still I got my lucky tap shoes on. Just after the break I heard, “And now, for real Jamie Swan performing.” My smile came back to my face, I was ready to dance. I was ready to win. It was the time; finally, I’ll live my dream and get to be the best tap dancer in the world, or at least in the United States.
I was standing in the stage, ready to dance. The curtains were getting open, the music was starting. It was my time to shine, to show the world what I was capable of doing. Everything was doing well and I was concentrating in one single point in the theatre. A minute passed and what I least expected, happened. While doing my famous combination of wings and pullbacks, I fell. After that, I instantly saw my mom´s face creep me out. She was being so pushy for the last six months, telling me to concentrate and think of what I love while dancing. The crowd stopped smiling for a minute or so. At that moment, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I stood up and continued dancing as if nothing had happened. The audience kept on smiling and I finished my dance. The curtains began to close and I left the stage. A couple more girls did their performances after me.
An hour later, the judges were ready to announce the winners. I felt confident about myself; I knew I was going to win. My shoes had never let me down, I trusted them so much. The host called every single dancer to come to the stage. We were about thirty girls standing, waiting to hear who the winner was. The fat, bald man was getting the black card from the envelope out. We were all nervous. I began to sweat as usual. The host was reading the card, when suddenly the lights went off. I heard my neighbor Mrs. Rachelle, scream with exaggeration. I recognized her with her loud and squeaky voice. The host didn’t care that the lights had gone off and announced the winner.
I began to cry and my face was filled with tears. The winner had not been me, it had been Annabelle Fondue the world famous tap dancer. Annabelle had indeed tried her best, but I never thought her achievement had been fair at all, but it was not in my hands to say if she had won or not. My friends didn’t cry as much as I did, but their face did not look happy at all. I had fell in my presentation, but anyway I tried my best. Then I realized how important it is to believe in yourself and never let anyone criticize. There are going be times in which you were going to be a winner and in other times you were going to be a loser.
It was a Saturday morning, nine thirty to be exact. Mom entered my room to wake me up, since I had forgotten today was my first day of guitar lessons. I woke up frowning and my dear mom asked if everything was ok. I told her the whole story and she said, ‘if that dream ever came true, I would not have mind that you fell, not even one little bit.’ What I had been thinking of all day long, was something I would keep in mind forever; try your best and if it does not work, keep on trying, like my favorite quote says: fall seven times, stand up eight.