Ahh yes. Cultural night for the college happened in the 1st of August. I was rather nervous of the upcoming event during July 31 despite the fact that I would prefer for the day to quickly come and go as soon as possible.

I am the president of one of the cultural groups performing on stage. I was indeed very concerned at the fact most of my group members has not successfully perfected their dance routine even after 8 weeks of practice. This was probably due to the long intervals between practices which made them forget the steps.

Two days before the show, it was frightening! Majority of my members could not even dance according to the music given, and their cues were completely flawed. I was worried. Extremely worried. I was worried that they would embarrass themselves let alone me as well on stage. I just prayed to the Lord it will go on well, otherwise it will haunt me for a couple of years. I wouldn't necessarily say forever.
The event came and on 5:30 pm I screamed at my crew to practice prior to the show. They were a young bunch; chatting, arguing, loafing around and so on, and I was the only one who managed to get them under control. They were all worried about me of course because of incessant shouting and demanding. I was freaking out. The show was about to start at 7:00 pm, and I really needed for them to master their steps. The group of boys who did the Maglalatik decided to practice in the room with their beating coconuts whilst the Itik-Itik girls were being prepared by my mother with make up. After the boys managed to dance rhythmically, I let out a sigh. Their dance was very good. It was as close to "perfect" as I could ever hope for, then again I imagined that they would forget their steps and just stand while the music made a fool of themselves. After the girls had their makeup all done, they did the dance in front of me. I was glad they were more efficient and reliable since this whole ordeal made me want to rip my hair out. When organising a group for a very big show, stress levels for a person is really high. But anyway, I was proud of my girls. I hoped they do well on the stage.

The clocked ticked at 7 pm, and I knew our time to shine was coming. Half of me was scared and nervous, whilst the other was calm and cool. You see I have an oxymoron personality. One of my mates from another group called us up saying we were next. I advised my group to "breathe deeply and don't forget to exhale". I could feel the tension from my group. We arrived at the waiting room where were to wait until we are called up to stage. My heart was beating with anticipation and I was really, really nervous. My members were all calm and collected as if they weren't the one performing on stage! The Chinese cultural group's item was over and we were nest. My heart was pounding loudly against my chest and my hands were sweating, soaking my cue cards. The music started and the boys were first. I heard a couple of excited "ooh's" and "ahh's". I considered that as the good sign. A loud applause erupted as my boys were finished. I couldn't help but feel proud. Next was the girls. Their music came and they had a delayed start. Nevertheless, they managed to cover up their mistake and doe it effortlessly. I felt pride all over. My group did it! Weeks of pressure and emphasis of practice towards them really paid off! As the audience applauded, my high stress level ceased and my endorphine levels heighten.

Stay tuned for the next SERantingCast!