Hi! My name is Naomi and I am an actor in our production of Cinderella! Recently we have been rehearsing a very large number of choreography that contains waltzing and lifts. As soon as I heard that we’d be doing lifts, I felt a lot of mixed emotions. At first, I was excited. Watching professional dancers lift one another seemingly effortlessly is truly mesmerizing. But bringing myself to trust my leader, Julia, was much harder than I had anticipated. After discussing with Julia, I had come to terms with the fact that I just had to jump.
The time came where we were counting off for our first attempt. As we prepped on the 6th count, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the numerous disasters that could occur. Finally, I leaned myself against Julia as she lifted me slightly above the ground. We did it!
Although this whole story may not seem like a big deal for a lot of people, it did to me. I had learned to trust my dance partner, and also trust myself. I now have more confidence in our choreography, and really enjoy those lifts. So next time you feel yourself dreading something you have to do, always trust yourself and your peers, and just go for it.
