The music stopped almost immediately and it took a minute for me to realize that everyone was staring at me. Thunderous claps echoed through the hall, different screams and roars of people were heard and I had never felt so happy in my entire life.
"Give it up for Jonah James!
impressive performance I must say"
Memories of my mum telling me I'd be a superstar flashed before my eyes. Tears rolled down my eyes and the satisfaction those tears brought was unexplainable.
Just a few months ago, life felt so difficult for me. I never believed I would be able to make it this far. My dancing ambition seemed as if it was all.
A few years ago, when I brought home my report sheet from school which was full of red ink all over except for social activities where I scored very high marks, my father told me that I was going nowhere except to change the attitude that I give to studies. The red ink is a pointer that I had a very bad reading habit.
All I do and want to do is to listen to newly released music and make a dance out of it. That's my passion, that's my dream. I am not cut out to get all these algebra formulae or economic theorems but no one would understand my plight.
That very Christmas, my father refused all the luxury accrued to other children. He registered for extra coaching in the school. The only days I was free were Christmas and New eve.
One of the days before Christmas Eve, as I was trekking to school to join other learners who have been registered for extramural classes, I heard beats of music coming from an adjoining compound, and some young folks were seen coming in and out of the place. My legs disobeyed my mind and walked into the fenced compound. To my amazement, I found tens of young people learning a dance routine.
All the faces I met there were strange but it felt like home for me. I watched what was being done and almost immediately, I caught every move in my head.
It wasn't long before the leader of the group asked me if I could do the move. At first, I thought of staying off, thinking of what my father had said about me not taking my studies very seriously. On second thought, I jumped to the floor and gave my best which was followed by an ovation of claps. That day, I boycotted school because we learned more dance moves.
On reaching home, my mother snapped at me for being irresponsible and unrepentant. She talked for several hours about how I may turn out to be the black sheep of the family. She reminded me of how my older brother, now a lawyer, had taken his studies very seriously and how my immediate sister is studying medicine at the university. She was like what is my plan in life and all that? As she continued to talk to me, I felt bad but courage from nowhere told me that I wasn't doing anything wrong.
Daddy returned from work and told me that it is my life and I should take it any he wanted. He spoke like he is going to take a nonchalant attitude about me. This propelled my seriousness in learning this dance thing more.
The following morning, I went to school, and as soon as I was done with classes, I went to the rehearsal. The coach there told me that I would lead the team if I kept coming for training. He assured me that dance could be a career for me. It was a new challenge for me as I now knew that my life and earnings could come from dance. I ensured I gave it my best.
One evening, during such times when my father cared less about me, a text message appeared on my phone and it was an electronic registration form for a dance competition. I quickly browsed the internet to check if the adversarial was genuine. It was a genuine site, so I registered. That was how it all began.
A month after I registered, I got another text asking me to come to the Music center on the island of Lagos for an audition. That audition was an eye-opener for me. The judges gave me a golden buzzer, meaning that I have qualified to join other successful dancers who made it to the reality television show.
My parents still made it look like I was on my own. I tried my best to make them realize how this could work out for me but my father wanted me to take up a career in engineering which was his area of specialization.
Before I joined the reality show that would take twenty-three weeks, I joined my newfound friends in a street competition and we came top. I was mentioned as the most valued dancer in the show with a little prize to go with it. I feel that this is an omen of good things to come for me. I have been dogged by my passion for dance and I am not ready to let go.
I tried and tried, I did my best, and I danced and danced. Twenty weeks after, I was still in the show and that enough made my life a thousand watts brighter. Now, it wasn't just the win that I was after but the fame was all I was after.
The finale of the show was a tense moment. Even the audience was uneasy and nervous. My heart thudded with every footstep I took. When the time came for me to dance, my heart went down to my stomach, and my gut twisted violently.
And when the time came for the winners to be chosen, the whole place was quiet and silent.
"And the winner is Corey Crawford." The whole place shook violently as the audience clapped, whistled, and shouted. Tears were all over my face and my face turned red. I walked to the stage to pick my prize.
A year later, I owned a dance studio for children and teens whose parents were against dancing. I sponsored them and helped them speak to their parents.
I help them achieve an ambition like mine.