That moment...

          You've had a long day at work, your feet ache...not to mention  your eyes are tired of staring at the computer screen for hours on end. You've decided to go out tonight, enjoy some free time, after all it is the weekend. Clubbing is fun the first few times you go after that it's the same thing. Giggly DJ's, some that like to talk over the songs, especially the ones you love. So, mentally you've crossed that off your list of things to do tonight. Then a friend mentions going to a show. The idea teases at you for a moment, as  you imagine the screen with the same ole hmmm huh movies. Then your friend ends up nudging you and saying no, not a movie, but a live show. Your ears perk even more at the sound of this, now your friend has your full attention. A dance show you say, from there your friend grabs you by the hand and drags you with them on the "limo" that was sent to pick them up....

                  Reaching the theater you're looking around, everyone is dressed top notch, from gowns to tuxes, which of course makes you look down at yourself to make sure you won't stand out too much. Deciding you look decent enough you are promptly greeted with a "welcome" by the hostess. Looking up at her you know this will be something different than the usual drone show. She has that sparkle of excitement in her eyes and the stunning smile to go with it. Nodding in return at the hostess and giving her a shy smile you sit down and wait for the show to start. As you listen to the chatter around, you can see the playful banter from the regulars towards one another and can't help but to giggle at some of the remarks yourself. You can see the flutter of the curtain as the dancer behind is trying to make any last minute adjustments to their sets, you start to feel the excitement of the theater build as the time draws close to starting...

                  Just at that moment the DJ cues up the intro, and a stunning strawberry blonde stands in front of the stage, taking the mic as the music plays she announces, "Welcome to Guerilla Burlesque"... as she speaks your head tilts and you listen intently to what she is saying. Glancing at the gold urns on either side of her a moment then back on her as she finishes her opening speech. You watch her as she moves away from the mic and back to her seat and the intro song ends. You see the curtain start to raise as the next song starts and you're instantly mesmerized....

                 This is how I felt the first time I tp'ed to Idle Rogue. I was shy, quiet though I didn't have a friend to tp me to the show, I imagined this is how it would of felt. I was drawn into each and every act that night and felt the rush of the crowd around me. I decided that, I wanted to do the same thing. I knew I could figure out how to do things in SL, after all my first Guerilla Burlesque show I attended was only two days new to Second Life. I didn't own a dance, let alone know how to build. But that draw of the dance was strong. Hanging around for a few weeks Diawa decided that she was going to get to know this quiet stranger that refused to "touch my butt" at her simple demand. She was gracious enough to show me some of the ins and outs of dancing and we worked hard together to put together an hour long Halloween show.  I'll be honest, we worked ourselves to the point of exhaustion...how we did the show is beyond me. But, in her eyes that was the biggest train wreck of her dancing career. For me, it was the doorway to prove we could do better and I pushed myself after that show to prove it.

                Now, I'm that dancer sweating behind the curtain, palms sweaty, heart racing and praying that everything goes as perfect as planned. So far, I've been lucky and only had one act that didn't go as planned. And, it's OK it didn't. I wasn't upset, I knew from Diawa, that this was going to happen at some point. She made sure that I learned the hard lesson long before the rewards...dancing is more than just the song and costume choice...not to mention the set. It's an outlet and expression for that person's interpretation of the song they chose. Sometimes the meaning is hidden and if you look close enough and listen to the words of the song, the concept will light up brighter than the sun....this is why I dance...complete and utter expression...and with that I'll leave you to your thoughts and hope to see you at the next show...

Azzy