I have been a dancer almost my whole life. Although I would not consider myself on a pro level, it was something I tried hard in, enjoyed, and turned out to be pretty decent in throughout the years. When I got to high school, I was skeptical on joining clubs or teams because I didn’t know where I’d fit in. My older sister had been a part of the school musicals when she was in high school, so I gave that consideration. I didn’t know anything about theater, but at least I could dance, right? It took until my junior year of high school to finally get myself to audition. I instantly was surrounded by forty kids who not only knew all about theater, acting and singing, but had been participating in drama for years. I received the role of a seagull in The Little Mermaid, which was part of the ensemble. The gulls got their own number, where we had to sing and dance. During the dance part of rehearsals, I felt at home. However, I was completely out of place during singing and acting rehearsals. I struggled to learn the terms of sheet music, as well as stage directions. It took a lot of focus for me to become familiar. By the time show night was rolling around three months later, I was vaguely educated in everything going on. Although it was definitely a challenge, I am glad I stuck through all of rehearsals and put in the effort to become familiar in this whole new world. My hard work must have paid off, because my senior year, I received a speaking role, as well as two ensemble roles, in Mary Poppins. I was extremely excited, but a speaking role presented a whole new challenge. Not only did I have to learn song and dance, but I had to remember lines. I had to learn to project my voice. Another musical, another learning experience. In the end, my only regret was not being a part of the musical my freshman and sophomore years!
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