Why?

A few more days and it's the start of our very own series of concerts (FUNKADELIC). In actual fact, I am also a nervous wreck! I am a bunch of nerves ready to explode. Yes, even after more than a decade of performing, I still experience stage fright spells every now and then. Especially since this concert is OUR concert. We've been ceaselessly rehearsing everyday and sometimes I can't seem to take it anymore (blame it on my ageing body). I find myself asking, "why do I dance in the first place?", "why did God give me this talent?" I mean, there are so many other things I can do other than dance, right? At times I wish I would've just listened to my grandparents and became a doctor, or a lawyer or anything that doesn't involve any physical activity. Last week, direk Floi Quintos previewed all of the finished pieces, including my adagio solo, an Annie Lennox song, "Why" (how apt, isn't it?!) in which I depict an ageing diva. The music started to fade and I assumed my last pose on my prop, a monoblock chair. To my surprise, my performance drew warm applause from my co-dancers, choreographers, our artistic director, and direk Floi. And I saw some of my co-dancers in tears! They said that my dance was so nice and it really moved them. Our artistic director said to me, "That was beautiful. So beautiful! I've never seen you dance that way." I felt really good after. And then I remembered...I dance because this is the one thing I love doing. I dance because this is the one thing I know I am very good at. I dance because dancing feeds my soul. I dance, therefore I am.