“Today’s the day,” I thought to myself. I was going on stage to perform solo for the first time. For the entire day, leading up to my performance, it felt as though my heart had sunk deep into the centre of my chest. Sure, I’d performed in groups before as I’d done ballet when I was much younger, but there’s just something about performing in front of your peers that feels a tad bit more nerve-wrecking. In all likeliness, it was probably just me being a regular teen about it. Last month or so ago, I began practicing the choreography for my solo performance. I’d often consult my sister, who was also a dancer in her own right, with videos of dance moves that I could possibly add to my routine. Since I wasn’t too accustomed to contemporary or street dance-types, it was crucial that I found a style of dance that fit me and my stage persona. Before Dancestoned began, I took a nap because I knew that I needed the energy and I also couldn’t eat before a performance. I always made sure to not eat before so that I don’t feel nauseous afterwards.
Performance by Anna Sim | Dacnestoned 2019
The night opened with an act that was put together and performed by the organizing committee itself which I would have been able to appreciate more if I wasn’t going on next. My heart was beating fast. Before getting up on stage, I closed my eyes and chanted to myself “you’re creepy,” over and over in my head as if saying it enough would make it true. My performance was meant to be “creepy” and “eerie” for lack of better words to describe it. I had my hair down and a messy white shirt over a black crop top. I was prepared to do my best rendition of The Grudge 4 then and there itself. I gave the cue for the music and waited patiently for it to start. Half a minute went by and nothing played. I gave the signal again but as I looked up, the stage hand did this whisper-shout thing from off-stage. “Come back, we need to show the video first.” I ran off stage, feeling slightly embarrassed. I went back on after that and did my thing and I have to say that I was rather happy with myself despite one or two hiccoughs.
Immediately after was the performance by the Oriental Dance Club. At the time, I didn't get to watch them on stage as I was backstage preparing for the next performance with Campus Crew (the on-campus dance crew; very original name, I might add). However, I knew from their practice sessions that these girls had so much fun dancing with each other and there wasn’t a doubt in my head that it must have been amazing. As a dancer myself, I think it’s really important to enjoy yourself when you’re performing on stage. Being able to have fun while dancing brings out the best in the way you look and the way you express yourself. After the oriental performance, I came back on stage with Campus Crew and it was relieving to dance with others around me; I was no longer the center of attention. Fitting with this year’s theme, “Metamorphosis,” our piece was called “Evolution”. The number started off with a relatively slow, contemporary performance which then evolved into a more up-beat hip hop duo performance, followed by a powerful rendition to the song “Believer” by Imagine Dragons before ending with West Coast’s “G-Eazy”, a free style composition.
Performance by “Afromazing “ | Dancestoned 2019
Out of all the dances that came after, one that really got the crowd going was the African dance titled “Afromazing”. The excitement of the audience was apparent when their friends appeared on stage and danced to the beat of the music. The dance was rhythmic and expressive; it felt as though the people on stage were dancing in the comfort of their own rooms, without a single worry on their minds.
I was also really impressed with my fellow solo-performer, Hamza who did a mashup of popping and freestyle dances. His pops were very clean, and I could see that he was having a lot of fun doing what he does. It was Tara’s performance at the end was one that left an impression on me. Her movements were so clean-cut and precise, you could see the raw strength in her muscles. It was as though every part of her body was positioned precisely where she intended them to be. Her every move was artistically expressed within a small box around her. The entire performance felt very pure and minimalistic.
Performance by Hamza | Dancestoned 2019
By the end of the night, I had learnt so many new things about people around and about myself. I was glad to have been given the opportunity to perform solo on stage in front of such a warm and encouraging crowd. I even got to put more time into doing something I have always loved doing. Most importantly, I got to learn so much from watching my peers perform with me on stage. If there is one thing to take away from this experience of mine, it is to go ahead and try out that one thing you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t let your self-doubt stand in the way of doing something that’s meaningful to you. You never know what experiences you might find along the way. As for me, I am definitely looking forward to performing more here at Jacobs!
By Anna Sim (Malaysia) | Foundation Year Class of 2020, and Cavan Yong (Malaysia) | Class of 2021
