Our names were finally announced. My teacher, sitting with the other musicians in one corner of the stage, gave us a smile, but I could tell that she was nervous. She knew that we could do a good job, of course, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen us. But standing there, in the middle wing, waiting for that first delicate tune of the nattuvangam, that first beautiful sound of the violin, the first breathtaking beat of the mridangam, and of course, the first word of the song which we were to dance to, that was the point where I got nervous. My hands shaking, we stepped onto the Stage. 'Hello, dear Stage. We meet again' I thought, and for the first time in my life, I saw the Stage smiling back at me.
Our first dance went very well, though I forgot one step, but I don't think anyone would have realized that one, since my face was not facing the audience at that point of time. My friends and I collapsed in the green room, but we were happy that our dance went the way we wanted it to go. After a while, we went outside, near the wing, to get ready for our second dance. We entered the Stage together, our ghungrus jingling away, a sound which every dancer loves. This time I was confident. The first half went on pretty well, but then in the second half, I forgot one step, and I'm sure everyone saw it. Obviously I become a little more conscious after that, and the rest of the dance went well. When we went backstage after the dance got over, I was really scared. My two friends assured me that it was okay, and that I made up for that mistake. But that wasn't enough. In the next dance, I had to do well. I had to make my teacher, parents, family, and most of all, myself, proud. As I stood in the wing for my last dance, I gave one nod at the Stage, and entered. The light fell on my face, illuminating it, but darkening the audience. With a smile glued to my face, I danced. I danced like Shiva, where nothing in the world could stop me, neither a hurricane, nor a storm. I was lost in my world, a world where only the Stage and I existed, nobody else. And I loved it. I loved every minute of that dance, I cherished every second of it. Only at that point of time did I realize that I had been given a golden opportunity, and I seized it. And that dance ended up being the best.
That performance taught me to learn from my mistakes, and not to get discouraged by them, but encouraged. Mistakes should motivate you, make you want to do better. Thats what my friend Stage taught me. And if you give it a chance, I'm sure it will teach you the same thing too.
