The strenous training for months just for 3 mins of movement on stage is one that almost seem illogical and silly, yet wholely logical and worthy to a dancer.
The adrenaline on stage, the synchronisation and "feel" between members and the applause that comes after is what dancers live for.
It's what i live on.
One of the key feature dancers need is adaptability.
When dancers bump in and prepare for a show, they are often in a new environment and out of their comfort zone.
A new stage means different flooring, different air conditioning, differerent lights.
Whether a dancer makes it or breaks it lies in how fast he/she is able to acclimatize with the environment.
And when he/she fails to do so, the regret that follows through is haunting and desolate.
The months of effort put in cannot go to waste.
While bumping in yesterday, i stretched every bit of my body, my quads, my splits my arms- everything, except my neck.
And with that i went on stage to dance with a body cold as hell.
10 minutes in, there was a stretch and all of a sudden a dull ache creeping up my neck from my left shoulder. There were twists and then turns and then a head roll which was followed with a nerving shot of pain.
My neck has always been funky since I was little. Waking up with a stiff neck once in a month was common for me when i was younger, all the way till one fine day when I was pretending to be a monkey hanging on to the upper deck of the bunk bed in my room. When i tried to get up my neck snapped and the next moment, i was just bawling for my parents.
They brought me to a chinese physician the next morning and it was the most physically excruriating moment of my childhood. Ugh. That was some intense shit. But the sensi fixed my neck and i became a mobile happy kid again.
That being said, i woke up with the same pressure on my neck this morning.
The performance is tonight and needless to say i had a gruelling time last night blaming my lack of sensibility to stretch my weakest part of the body.
Tonight's dance piece is my favorite of all the pieces that i've performed and learnt before, and it really holds a special seat in my heart. I love the choreography and all i want is to be able to present this beautiful piece to an audience- to my family and friends; to share the love that i have. What little i love but how great what i love is.