Monday, August 04, 2003
I came back from a wonderful night 24 hours ago. Rapture turned out to be an amazing success.. and scenes from it are still playing in my head.
Well, yes granted it wasn't perfect: People forgot their steps, didnt come in when they were supposed to, knocked into each other.. but who cares? As minute friend melody put it, "it simply added to the humour and life of the night."
And yes, it was indeed a night full of life.
It didnt come easy tho.. from the dragging of the enormous weight of costumes to mediacorp, to the horrible cold that turned my nose red and made me sniffle all through the rehearsals, to the dry parched throat from the lack of water, to the cramped changing room where both guys and girls saw what we didnt really want to see, (no you sicko, there wasnt any x-rated stuff, thank you, but enough to outrage our modesty quite abit.) to the crazy and frantic pace of the full dress rehearsal, to the 2 minute costume changes which left our shoes, sock(s), accessories strewn all over a sweaty, clothing-entrenched floor, to the heated arguments over who took whose props, to the panic ensuing when we couldnt even get the last rehearsal right...
But it was all worth it.
The cameraderie backstage was excellent, from helping a few poor souls (like me) find our missing yellow chains, to helping each other apply make up (ok that sounds kinda gay, but the guys had to put on foundation too, and we had no idea how to, so the girls helped), to the cheering on of our fellow dancers as we gazed at the backstage screen which projected the stage. Meeting a few of the dancers from TJ and RJ was really great too, i met my old pen pal, someone i used to take the bus with, a secondary school friend, and a friend of a friend who dragged us out to a disatrous clubbing trip. (long story) From the frantic changing of costumes to the naps on each other's laps, to the sharing of much needed afternoon snacks, to the discussion of who should be banished from Queen Chastity whateverhernameis' land, I think the SA dance society bonded really well that day. :D
The night unfolded smoothly, almost naturally. Found myself not even thinking about the steps, felt my body move as though i had been doing it all my life. (the past 3 long weeks sure felt like a lifetime to me) The resonant applause ringing in our ears after every performance mingled with our thumping heartbeats as we exited the stage, thinking about the next costume change, the next item. A flickering pride for one item, a stronger determination for the next. A little flicker of sadness came up as i was waiting to dance Last Dance, our finale, with the realisation that it was probably one of the last few times i'll dance as a Saint, or even dance anymore at all.. and when the time came for our final pose on stage with the loudest applause ringing out from the audience, it felt as if that was the best feeling in the world, as if that was the reason why we came together in the first place.
The support was wonderful too, which came in the form of the 25th Student Council who actually wrote my name on big yellow boards for all the world to see. I thought they were kidding when they said they would do a banner. I love them. Hahaha! 25th, you guys never fail to surprise me, never fail to go the extra mile for anyone. I cant describe the feeling when i saw all of you together cheering for me, it really makes the sacrifice worth it. And if there was a reward for all the time spent during rehearsals, it would be to put on a great show just for you. Thank you thank you thank you. I really dont know how else to show my gratitude for such a great bunch of people. :D
Not to mention a whole lot of people who came down to show their support, many of which whom i didnt expect to, but their smiles of enjoyment after the show made it all worth it.
Perhaps the single most joyful sight was that of our choreographer Zaki when he received his token of appreciation. Zaki, with his creativity, talent, passion and most importantly, love. Love enough to buy us chocolates, to lend us costumes (even tho they may look kinda *ahem*) to stay back till late at night with us, to encourage us, to scold us, to bitch with us.. he's truely someone who's earned my respect, and that of many others as well.
Oh yes, Rapture: a night of magic, smiles, style, elaborate (and sometime embarrassing) costumes, bright lights, and life. Dance is the essence of life, for life is a stage, and we, the dancers. And im really grateful for the SAJC Dance Society for showing me that.
he rocked the party at 9:27 AM |
