Show week, show season, show practices, dress rehearsal, show day.  It is all magical.  It is all brilliant.  It is all exhausting.  And it is all part of what makes Aerial Dance the experience it is.  

Last Saturday dancers took the stage to perform in front of hundreds of people.  Dancers who have been dancing for less than a year, and dancers who have been dancing for years and years.  Every dancer walked on the same stage.  Every dancer felt the same support from the audience. Every dancer was be celebrated.

The shows Aerial Dance puts on are more than simple performances.  They are experiences.  They are experiences for the dancers and they are experiences for the audience.  Having been both a performer and an audience member, the experience of either are jaw dropping, exhilarating, and often so many other emotions.  And they are an experience I do not want to miss. 

Preparing for the show is more than simply practicing; and it often involves more than simply the dancer.  Preparing for the show is picking a song you think you can listen to approximately 555 times and not hating it.  It is showing up to the studio to play around and find out what works, likely a few times. Preparing for the show is pouring your heart into choreography.  It is putting together moves to tell the story in your soul. Preparing for the show is ordering numerous outfits and hoping you find the right one, before the week of the show.  It is working with instructors and other students in ways you otherwise do not have the opportunity to. Preparing for the show is having the support of the people around you; having your village support and show up for you. Whether it is the support of the other Aerial Dance students or family or others in our lives.  Preparing for the show truly takes the village of the dancer.  There are more practices, more mental efforts, more cost, more muscle fatigue, more love for dance, and often, more desire to get on stage again. 

If you have been to a show before, here is your reminder, you do not want to miss an opportunity to go hoarse cheering for the grace, power, and beauty exemplified on stage.  If you have never been to a show, this is your not so gentle nudge, YOU NEED TO GO TO THE NEXT ONE.  And if you are a dancer who is unsure about performing, DO IT, so you can experience the magic of show day. The show is an experience you do not want to miss. 

See you all at the next one!