I couldn’t deny it, I had stage fright. The enormous auditorium fell to complete stillness. The anxious thumping in my heart began to get louder as I stood waiting. “Presenting…” I heard someone announce into the microphone. Soon we would have to step on front of that aged curtain and hypnotize out audience with our unique dancing style and our attempt at grace.

My friends and I joined a club that hold a charity dance show at the end of every year. “It sounds like fun!” We all agreed. We created a small dance group and began to practice our very complicated steps. Practices were excruciating and filled with complications but somehow we made it thorough. Two months of exertion all came down to one exhilarating performance, The Pakistani Indian Student Association’s annual Culture Shock Show which includes an array of cultural acts. We prepared for months to get on that immense black stage and show everyone that we could do anything. The acts, some amazing and others great, came and went. “Get ready, you’re next!” the stage manager notified us. My preparation slipped my mind and I became filled with concern. I tried to forget this as I went behind the curtain with the rest of the group. We gave each other much needed pep talks. We whispered “good luck” to relieve the tension each of us had grown. The guys, on the other hand, demanded us to not “mess up.” To them that passed of as encouragement.

The curtains opened and revealed a massive crowd. The melody we all knew by heart began to play over the speakers. We counted to three and walked out in a quick pace. The liveliness of the crowd grew bit by bit. When we reached our “marked” spots on the stage floor the beat of the music changed and the girls made sharp turns near the guys. The guys’ bashful movements were followed by our shy steps. The guys led the way as they held their welcoming hands toward us as we flaunted every twirl as much as we could. Step after graceful step the amazement of the crowd grew. When we reached the finale, the boys dipped the girls one after the other and we held that awkward position for what seemed like countless minutes. The lights dimmed and the curtains closed. We could hear the crowd wild with excitement. “We did it!” we yelled and cheered backstage.

Dancing, complex and beautiful, always seems to amaze me. Courage and vigor make qualified dancers. Taking part in this charitable show demonstrated to me that everything won’t come easy at first. People can express fright and anxiety. In the end my worried turned into something non-existent. I had fun dancing in front of a crowd and felt excellent about my decision to take part on something that made me so satisfied. Taking a chance had showed everyone that we didn’t have fear and that we had enough confidence to show off our best moves.