Although most days would be spent
going to school during the day and spending the evenings in ballet class
learning and perfecting exam material, this spotlight will jump to the most
important day… the exam day!
I remember the night before was
always the most scary. Of course everyone, teachers, parents, friends, all
said, “Get a good night’s sleep.” But that never happened. Before bed I would
always double check my bag. ‘Do I have my uniform? Are they all in good shape?
Do I have my hair kit? My good luck charm?
I’m reassured that my bag it ready,
so now time to try to fall asleep. Snuggle into bed, turn off the light, shut
my eyes… fall asleep… fall asleep… go to sleep… GO TO SLEEP! But all that is
going through my mind is the exercises. Plie on one, rise on two, arm to second
on three, head turn on four, and on and on and on. I play the entire exam in my
head as I lie in bed. I can hear the music; see the examiner and my friends in
my group. My partner for the character
dance and I have been in total sync for the past week. We’ve got that down. I’m
sure of it. But what about the study I do alone? What if I forget what comes
next. ‘Just breathe and try to sleep,’ I tell myself in between the exercises
happening in my head. And eventually I do drift into sleep.
In the morning the panic sets in.
This is it. The day. I carry my bag downstairs and leave it by the front door.
It’s ready to go. Breakfast is eaten but it doesn’t taste quite as good because
of the nerves. I pack a bottle of water and get ready to go to the studio.
Butterflies fly through me, but I try to appear cool on the outside.
At the studio I find all my friends
in the same state as me. We have got to breathe and relax a bit if we are going
to enjoy this at all. After our hair is finished – a very tight bun that
doesn’t let any little piece of hair get loose – we start to warm up together.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve learned to support each other, to work together,
to calm each other. I know that I will have friends to my left and right that
will always smile back even if the examiner isn’t.
It’s time. We line up at the door,
our character skirts folded neatly over our arms, our shoes in hand. We have perfect
uniforms, perfect hair and perfect smiles. We’ve practiced the examiner’s name
over and over again. We are ready. The bell rings. The door opens. And…
About an hour later we emerge. Life
is back to normal, relaxed. “How was it?” someone asks. “Great!” I say, “so
much fun!” Fun? Not often a word one hears alongside “exam”. But, this exam was
fun. It was a chance to be in front of an audience, even if only an audience of
one. I performed with my friends, we showed off the skills we’ve been working
on all year and most of all we got to dance, dance, dance! No stopping for
corrections from teachers, no pausing to ask a question, just straight
dancing!
