A few days have passed since our show, and I've managed to process a little the amazing day it was.
The way I like to think of RMB Dance is as a dance school with personality. I try to establish an environment in which the children can truly be themselves and share a love of dance with their peers. We use this passion for dance to develop strong minds as well as strong bodies, pushing ourselves physically, creatively and mentally.
That said, what I loved most about the show was witnessing the children's courage and how they positively managed their nerves and fears. For some of our dancers this was their first time performing on a stage, whilst others had perhaps done smaller performances but our audience of 100 was their biggest yet.
In classes, I encourage the children to talk honestly about how dancing makes them feel. Leading up to the show, many different feelings came up. We talked a lot about how nerves are a good thing, because they show that you care about something and want to do it well. We discussed ways we could use our nerves positively, to make our performance the best it could be.
As the teacher I witnessed many personal achievements during the show, both mental and physical. Some children demonstrated incredible courage getting onto the stage after experiencing fear during the rehearsal. Some performed solo parts that they'd been unsure about, and knew they had the option to back out of. Others produced amazing moves I'd never even seen in class!
A lot of what the children performed was their own choreography. Performing your own ideas is a huge ask, but they did it with the most wonderful bravery and enthusiasm!
Since the show, I've been overwhelmed with lovely messages from our audience members. The recurring message is that they saw the joy, smiles and genuine passion for dance that we have. I'm delighted this came across, because this is what our classes are like every single week! I think sometimes the pressure of performance and the fear of needing to perform perfectly can eliminate that natural and genuine feeling, but I'm so pleased that the children really showed their true selves.
What I wanted the most on Saturday was to put out an honest display of who we are and what we do. I think I can safely say we did that, and for that I am beyond proud.