My Passion: The Flow of Movement
When I was younger, I felt almost glued to the screen watching girls similar age as I accomplish a successful career in something that they loved and younger me was memorised at their work ethic, their dedication and almost understood and empathised with them as if I personally knew them. Seeing them continuously learning and growing up to see them getting recognised globally made me feel proud of them; as if I was them.
The inspiration brewed inside me watching them, I channeled their energy in every flow of movement that tossed and turned in me, with every new move I accomplished and refined gave a rush of adrenaline. Every. Single. Time. It was addictive. The long-lasting emotive impression the dancers left in every performance that made me aspire to be so much that I was sly jealous as I didn’t have the same opportunities that they did. I wish I had that opportunity to be what they were. Being able to perfectly execute choreography and make it better than it was first envisioned, I wanted that. I began that journey of teaching myself at home, despite the consequences I may face of some skills that required a professional to learn I simply didn’t care and was driven through the passion of the art entertainment of performing. This became an obsession of continuously watching the masters of art and being amazed day and night.
Years went by, and I was deeply saddened when the show ended along with my passion for dance, I still peaked a slight interest here and there but not to the extent I would go to when I was younger. It was sad seeing almost a part of me leave me not finding that same joy as I used to; a heartache. I was more concerned about my friends and the rest of any other growing teenage girl would think about and occupy herself with, once I got a phone.
Hitting the milestone of turning 18 means that traditionally in the Filipino culture, when a young girl hits that age, it is usually hugely celebrated. As part of the celebration, the debutante (the birthday girl) would need to showcase a talent, whether singing, dancing, etc. It felt only right to dance despite many years of not practicing. My friend and I, who were just as obsessed with dance as I, decided to showcase a new dance routine for my celebration. I remembered any small moments when we were alone together, we rehearsed as much as we could. Even if it was just marking the dance with our hands and arms, we were just as itching just to dance. Small things, such as perfecting and correcting each other when we danced, became a self-satisfactory feeling that glowed in us. When we finally performed the adrenaline rush, empathizing with every moment and the instant gratification of the crowd cheering was a mesmerising feeling.
That moment of realisation: I was in love. I started to attend dance classes and worked on multiple aspects, and being in a class with people who performed choreography better pushed me to be better and constantly made me adjust to minor little details that made a dance, a performance. I was re-inspired by watching a Korean survival show that involved so many extremely experienced female dancers of all genres, who expressed their passion for dance through every delivery of their performances. The show changed my whole perspective of dance and redefined it as my passion, something I will always love. This inspired me to even audition for my university’s dance competition, and I got in! Falling in love with dance again began to feel like the world chimed together in harmony. Feels like I am living my childhood dream.