Performance Night #2
Performance night is the celebration night that happens at the end of a six week term. It's held in our studio space with plenty of seating for an audience, drinks and nibbles, and the polers entertain each other with our routines.
We get to watch the various levels of students showcase their specific levels dance, as well as watching them performing the dances of the previous levels they've graduated from. It's an incredible confidence booster and lets you know what you're in for as you step up to the next level.
An added bonus of Performance night is watching Advanced polers perform, these ladies are invited from other studios to perform for us. For me though the highlight and what I especially enjoy is watching our instructors perform. It's nice to see them show what they can do, they really are an inspiring lot and rarely do we see them 'show off'. I find it so motivating and just really cool that they are capable of so much more than we get to see on a daily basis, yet they take the time to show us how to do the simple things that will lead us to their level one day.
Performance night for me meant doing three routines:
Level 1 - Addicted to Bass
Level 2 - Beautiful
Mania - Eyes of a Panther
This was my second Performance Party so I was quietly confident I could do the routines pretty much. It would be the first time I performed publicly though. This performance night people were allowed to invite friends, family, colleagues etc.
Once again I went alone as my +2 backed out, again (valid reasons). No, don't give me an "Awwww Deb", I'm okay with it but I think in future I'll go stag, it's so much less hassle, unless someone specifically wants to come which is no problem. I did like having the freedom to flit about and be a bit of a social butterfly or sitting quietly when I needed a break.
So no quivering mess, nerves weren't shot, I was surprisingly calm. Though I think I let off a nerve bomb in our private Facebook group when I posted a message asking how everyone was coping. Replies ranged from cool and sorted to almost vomiting with nerves. I just wanted to high five the positives and hug the nervy ones but all you can do is 'like' statuses, which I spent hours doing throughout the day.
Getting ready I was humming, yeah, I was. I wanted to show the new ladies what I could do, what they would be learning next. I wanted to show my girls we could do it, and I wanted to see if I could pull off dancing, actually dance. What I mean by that is where you take the choreography you've been given and you move it from steps and movements you count out in your head to creating fluidity and connection with the music, making it a dance. That was the one thing I wanted to see if I could do above all else.
My level 2 group
So, how was it... honestly it was great, it was fun, and it was all over way to quickly. By 9pm we were done, dusted, packing up and finished! No wild night at the studio for us sensible people. A lot went home to their families, a few went out. Me, I sang my heart out the whole way home with a huge sense of achievement and a heart bursting for these wonderful women that have come in to my life.
Mania ladies... I don't do Bad Ass very well but cheesy grin and squinty eyes - I own that! lol
And did I dance, I dunno? I think in some parts I did, not sure in others, that's something only an audience member could tell you, but I did feel in bits and I know I owned those bits at least. Bring on Pole Party #3
The ladies who pole. Of course I'm in the back with my arms up giving a Yay!
