10 years of hard work and dedication to dancing led me to this moment as I stood in my spot for the opening number. The bright light shone in my face as I took on the stage ready to perform. We always prayed before each show; this distracted me from the anxiety that came after. The adrenaline inside of me started pumping hard, my heart racing. Everything I worked on in the dance studio all year was about to unfold in front of the audience.

The director called for everyone to get into position. We knew the curtains were rising soon. As I stood in my spot waiting for the music to begin, I rehearsed my moves over and over in my head to help me remember them. My mind started floating away to a place where I always felt relaxed: the beach. I started thinking about the sound of waves and the coolness of my feet under the sand. Then, these images quickly faded as I saw the curtains rise. The upbeat music introduced the dance, and the excited audience started to clap. Up until this moment, I have never felt so exposed. The audience noticed every emotion I was feeling, and there was nothing I could do but keep on dancing. I could not longer hide myself from the crowd, as it was my time to shine. I felt as if the light now glared down on me even more, while my costume sparkled like glitter.

As the music progressed on, I gracefully danced my heart out, the adrenaline still kicking in. There was no time to think about anything else besides the next move that would follow the previous one. Unaware, I realized I had forgotten a step. Yet, the song was not over. It did not occur to me yet what had happened; I nonchalantly moved onto the next step trying to realize what I did.

Then, the song came to an end. We all took a bow and waited for the impressed audience to finish clapping. The curtains came back down, but then the feelings came up and started to overwhelm me. I felt as if my world came crashing down right before my eyes. And at this moment, I believed I was a complete failure. My dream of dancing in perfect harmony now ceased to exist all from one silly mistake.

After the show, I greeted my parents and friends in a somber tone. They knew something seemed off with me. I then told them what had happened while I was up on stage, but they told me they did not see my mistake. I will never forget what came after.

My mother said, “Alyssa, you danced your heart out and tried your best tonight. I could not ask for more. We are so blessed to have you in this family.”

At this moment, I have never felt prouder of my talent. My mother helped me realize that one silly mistake does not define who we are as a person. Instead, it helps us grow stronger and want to push even harder to achieve our dreams. Nothing is impossible. Hard work and dedication for sure pays off in the long run, even if it’s hard to see at first. My mind took a while to understand what my mother said to me that day. But, she helped me carry on this mindset that has stuck with me to this day.