I wanted a stage.
Since my blog started, I thought this would be one of the first things I would write about, but I always postponed it. Now, I have to write it in the past tense, as a fond memory.
It’s not easy to start dancing at 20 years old, and honestly, when I started, I thought I would go to classes twice a week and nothing more. But as time went by, I wanted more and more (still do) and one day, I realized that I wanted to share what I was doing… I wanted to dance… I wanted to be on stage… I didn’t have the money to join any academy, and I didn’t know if anyone would accept me.
But one morning, I was at a fair at UCR and saw Danzú performing. They were the UCR representation group, not professional dancers, just students who loved contemporary dance and were willing to commit a little to dance… I realized that I could be part of the group…
It was December 2005, I had no idea how it worked, but I realized I had to audition and I panicked a little. It sounded ridiculous… my first audition at 21 years old… I had no idea how these things worked.
There was no audition the following semester… Danzú had no teacher… so I couldn’t try until September 2006. José A Álvarez was the new director… I auditioned and was accepted! It’s a great feeling (much better than being kicked out of an audition). Finally, I could dance.
In the end, I only performed a couple of times with them. It was a great experience - my first audition, my first performance, my first experience as part of a group… I enjoyed it more than I imagined… I miss it, I miss dancing… But most of all, I miss the people…