80's Essay

As the music began, I started to move; the pounding of my feet blending in with the melodious sounds of the flute, the ghungaroo(bells) around my ankles, the mridangham (drums), and the blood rushing into my own heart. With the music and my first movements, the fear of being on stage washes away and I am focused on my movements and my expressions—using them to tell a story about my culture, my heritage, and me.

In addition, it was the little moments during performances that nurtured my desire to become a professional musician. The endeavor of singing on stage while hesitant and shaky, and the joy after finishing. Sitting in an ensemble with my alto saxophone, and playing with fellow musicians who shared my love for music, finding that perfect harmony. Experiencing a sense of freedom as I strummed and picked my heart away on stage with my guitar.

It was our last dress rehearsal, but it was open to the public so we had an audience. The play started, and I was swept into the thrill of performing; I savored every bit of laughter from the crowd. Until, it happened.

From an early age, I loved to perform. Being the youngest girl with three older brothers, I could never get enough attention; This meant singing, dancing and being extremely outgoing to get everyone’s eyes on me. I still hear stories about my younger self dancing in front of mirrors, babbling about my dream of being a “star”. It wasn’t until much later, however, that I found I could put my love of performing to use.

As I sat enveloped in her story of overcoming conclusions, she taught my heart to embrace each quirky part of myself. I identified with Elle Woods’ need to prove herself. This idea of accepting individuality provided me with the courage to audition for my first show, the Arvada Center’s production of Footloose. Since that first nerve-racking, nail-biting experience, I have come to find myself through each move I dance onstage. Getting my first big role, the Dragon in a production of Shrek, I poured my heart out, knowing the people ready to judge and mock were watching. After the show, the peers who judged my intelligence approached me, saying things like, “I never knew you could sing like that.” Through performing I found myself again. I shifted back to the girl I was, the girl who cared about her morals. I want to perform, hoping to provide audience members with the ability to connect with characters who can offer them a point of realization, as Elle Woods did for me.

The wind tousled my hair around as I closed my eyes and took deep, shaky breaths. The faint sound of the crowd cheering upstage didn't help with my nerves, so, instead, I turned my ears to the delicate waves rolling up the beach. I opened my eyes and gazed out at the lake; now an open canvas for the golden sun which had began setting. Quietly, I plucked each string of my guitar- though I’d already tuned them several times. On the outside, I may have seemed ready, content, and excited; however, on the inside, no matter how tranquilizing the back stage scenery was, I was terrified to the core.

I never took myself as much of an actress, even though I chose the role. Every day, I go in the dressing room and put on my costume. My hair and makeup were done, and it’s show time. The bright spotlight comes directly onto me. The curtains open and it begins. I give the performance of a lifetime. It’s amazing how much the audience believes the story they’re being told. They’re gullible, but they’re not dumb. They know when the show goes sideways and that’s when they begin to ask questions. As always, I reassure them nothing is wrong, and the act is a hit. The curtains close, I return to my dressing room, and I take off the costume. I wish I could give the role back.

DJ-Pon3, as she was called on stage, stepped away from the booth sweating and feeling the warmth throughout her entire body. Even as the maestro she was not immune to the music’s hypnotic effects. No, in fact her position perhaps made her the most vulnerable. It was a rush, a thrill, a love. She got to do what she loved. And so she went to her employer with a smile.

1984 by George Orwell, Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, and One Second After by William Forstchen have a couple similar themes. Although they may be three different books, with three different storylines, you can still connect them together in some ways. Not to mention, a senior can take some of these main themes and apply them to life as they get ready to join the real world. Here are a few themes that apply to all three books.

At the age of eight, my mother took me on a trip to New York City. On it, I saw the Lin Manuel-Miranda show In the Heights. Unlike my eight-year-old self, my mother loved performing arts, and she occasionally played CD’s from musicals in the car, which I groaned about. Given this, it is not hard to imagine I was less excited than the average person to see a broadway show; however, when my mother mentioned, “Chad from High School Musical is in it,” I perked up. As I walked into the theatre, my attitude improved again from the astonishingly vast house, filled with endless rows of red, velvet chairs leading towards an expansive stage trimmed with gold. Nevertheless, I still did not appreciate the opportunity to witness a Tony Award-winning musical, as I would in three hours. When the lights dimmed, the whole theatre fell silent, yet still buzzed with anticipation.

Imagine being under surveillance every day and every second of the day. A stranger always knowing where you are and what you are doing at all times. It is really terrifying to know someone is ALWAYS watching, yet many people brush off this fact. We live in America “the land of freedom” but are we really free? Today is the future, and we have advanced in technology, all the way from robots automatically mopping your floor to having a personal assistant that assists your every need or question you have right on your phone, but is that all they do? Or do they do more than we know? Technology today is marketed as if we need it, but in reality, they’re sold to us in order to violate our privacy and help the government spy on us.

It wasn't until I was twelve that I realized I wanted to pursue musical theatre as a career. I was

I stood in the right wing of the magnificent Gershwin Theatre in New York City, ready to go on stage in my insanely uncomfortable corset and 20 pound dress. I was surrounded by millions of props and set pieces. Backstage was packed with over forty crew members and by my side there were ten of my co-stars waiting for their cues to come barging on stage singing at the tops of their lungs. As the time approached, I gathered all my strength to lift and ‘walk’ with dignity to my position.

In the book “1984” written by George Orwell, there are three social classes that exist throughout Oceania, a country ruled by a dystopian government and dictated by a totalitarian regime. The novel was written as a warning to the world, if countries continue on the destructive path of war that they had been set on. It demonstrates the authors protest against a Totalitarian government, as he feared what the future may be for mankind. Throughout the novel, there is a clear division between the proles and the other two social classes. The proles are represented as an impoverished, powerless, and massive group of people, because Orwell uses this class to show what may happen if a Totalitarian government were to remain in control.

I could not help but notice the purity and beauty of my surroundings. I looked up through the fluttering leaves of the trees that tangled together over the stage like a spider web. Sun burst through the branches creating faint rays that struck the tan floored stage and made it warm to the touch. Beyond the branches I saw lush white clouds painted on the luminescent blue Maui sky. The theater was close to the shore that I could smell the salty ocean water as I inhaled the humid air. At this moment everything became crystal clear and I finally realized I need to live in the moment and appreciate where I am both geographically and mentally. The vivid beauty was my alarm clock, waking me up from a miserable view of life that I could not see and showing me the beautiful colors that were right in front of me that I was missing. Suddenly nothing else mattered except what I was doing and creating right there as I danced. I was one hundred percent in the moment, not thinking about what I just did, or what I was going to do. My senses were hyper aware, everything was clear, and I had never been happier. Something about the sky and the beauty around me triggered me realize everything I was missing out on by worrying about the