Laughing On Stage

I just finished performing not one, but two, pieces in our annual student concert. I have never performed that much of my own choreography at once, and both pieces were the longest I have choreographed.

My friend, Madeline, and I made a duet about our relationship with New York City. Madeline loves New York; she wants to move there. I also like NYC, but I prefer the more laidback attitude of the west coast (although I would do anything to have a subway in LA).

The duet started from a place of argument. At the time, we were bickering about nearly every aspect of the dance. I hated everything I made, and she did not like anything she created. This lasted up until last week. We finished the dance down to the wire, and it was stressful, but we had a dance.

During show week, I was incredibly nervous. I could not decide if I liked the dance or not, and I was nervous because unlike other dances I do, this one was entirely our choreography. Tech rehearsal went fine, but I did not feel satisfied.

The night of the first show, I was so nervous, more so than I have been in a long time. I thought about how far we had come with this dance and how lucky we were to be able to perform it. After all, dance is a celebration. I wanted to show how much fun we have together while onstage.

When we performed the dance for the first time, it was messy in the best way. We laughed and smiled at each other the whole time. Every moment felt exuberant. After it was over, all our friends and classmates screamed for us.

So many people told me they loved our duet. It was moving to see how dance could make people happy. I make and watch a lot of dance that deals with heavy topics, and the joyful duet between Madeline and I put smiles on people's faces.

I performed a solo that was much darker, so I was thankful for our lighthearted duet. This process made me realize how much I love to choreograph, and I am looking forward to creating more work in the future.