Efforts as a Dancer



I was sitting on the wood floor in the dance room, holding a white sealed envelope with my name scripted. In my other hand, I held a vibrant red rose as a “thank you” gift for auditioning for a Silver Spurs leadership position. My hand trembling and my heart pounding, I broke the seal of the envelope and opened my letter. After skimming through the first sentence of the letter, I was anxious to skip ahead to see my result. The letter said, "Thank you for auditioning of a Silver Spurs leadership position...Although you have not been selected for a leadership position, we encourage you to try again next year." I was not selected to be Chaplain, and I felt disappointed that my efforts did not get me anywhere. I was not happy about having to wait another year for a leadership position. Not only did I give this audition all my heart and effort, but also I was equipped with experience and inspiration, and ready to be Chaplain of the Silvers Spurs Drill Team. Mrs. Sanders, after her first year directing, encouraged me to audition for a leadership position. With her even-temper, full smile, and encouraging spirit, she was an inspiration for the whole team. After a year of experience as a freshman line member, she made me feel equipped with the necessary skills and qualities to fulfill the role of a leader. She gave me encouragement and taught the team meaningful devotion that inspired me to grow as both a dancer and a leader. Although I did not get chosen for a leadership position, Mrs. Sanders continued to give me the encouragement to work hard, and I never wanted to give up.


Seven months later, we began rehearsing for competition season, when I decided to enter a solo for the first time. When I first started choreographing, it took a lot of time and effort to get the choreography to a point where I was satisfied with it. Due to the rigor I faced as a choreographer, I was not sure I had made the right choice by entering the competition until I showed Mrs. Sanders what I had put together. Her full smile and lightened up face told me that she wanted to see more of the choreography I had, which gave me the encouragement to continue working on my piece. Finally, the time came when I had to perform the solo to the best of my ability. I felt pressured to please the audience until Mrs. Sanders got all the Silver Spur soloists together for a prayer and told us that we were dancing to glorify God rather than judges and audiences. By considering these encouraging words, I had faith not only in myself, but especially in God. Luckily, it turned out that I performed my solo well, and it received a Division I score. Satisfied with the effort I had put into my solo, I felt prepared for my Lieutenant audition where I was going to perform the same piece.



The day of my Lieutenant audition, I felt prepared, confident that my efforts would be rewarded. I walked into the interview and solo portion of the audition with faith in myself, ready to proudly answer questions from the judges and perform my well-polished solo from the competition. When I finished, I saw that I had left the judges all in smiles, which made me confident that I would get a satisfying result. After waiting three hours outside of the dance room to discover the final results, I attentively listened to Mrs. Sanders as she told us how pleased she was with our efforts. Then I received the letter, and pried the envelope open...it felt like my Chaplain audition was yesterday. Again, I was not select for Lieutenant. However, I knew that Mrs. Sanders had faith in each and everyone of us, no matter what our results where. From her words, I gained more faith in myself and trusted God to ultimately reward me. The next day I came in the dance room and asked Mrs. Sanders what I could have done differently to change my result.
“I am very proud of you,” she said with truth and meaning. “You were confident throughout the whole interview, and your solo was fantastic.”
When I gratefully accepted her compliment, she told me, “We still have the Historian position empty. Would you like to fulfill it?”
With excitement, I answered, “I would love to!” Finally, I felt completely sure that I would achieve success and earn the position I want.
One day after practice, I came in and auditioned for Historian by presenting creative tasks of sister gifts, candy grams, and t-shirt designs. As always, she was relaxed, friendly, and showed her full smile with straight, white teeth. She pulled out a score sheet, filled in my score, and got out an acceptance letter with an empty blank. In that blank, she script the word "Historian." I had a relieved and confident feeling that God rewards all efforts done through Him. I was confident that I could fulfill my duties, and I was excited to be a leader and set an example for next years team.


I am currently a junior on the Silver Spurs Drill Team, and I am enjoying my position as historian. Since my freshman year on drill team, I have gradually developed faith in myself by experiencing solo entries and officer auditions. In order to be successful, I learned that I must have faith in God and myself to face any challenges that come my way. Mrs. Sanders has helped me learn that effort and perseverance are always rewarded; She has lead me to my belief that faith in God is what gives my life purpose and direction. Now, I am ready to face any experience that drill team may bring me, and I have faith in myself to work my hardest and perform to the best of my ability.