I always wanted to be a dancer. And I recently had my chance; I was a “star” in Dancing For The Arts!

This past August, the Cabarrus Arts Council reached out to me and asked if I was game to participate in their biggest fundraiser.

Now, in all honesty, I didn’t want to do it. It was out of my comfort zone—really far out of it. But I knew I had to say yes; it would be a good stretch for me.

Plus, I am a big fan of the Cabarrus Arts Council. They gave me my first gallery show as a professional artist, back in 2016. Before that, I volunteered as a docent there for awhile. And when I was an elementary art teacher, I utilized the art council’s library of art history posters weekly. They do a fantastic job of bringing local art to all, young and old, in our community.

So, I said yes.

After filling out a survey, they paired us with dance pros; I was assigned to the talented Chris Harris. With 25 years of professional dance experience, Chris specializes in lyrical, ballroom and show dance blocking and works with Dance Dreams Studio in Kannapolis. I was put at ease by Chris’ easy going, friendly nature. He choreographed a fun, upbeat routine to Whitney Houston’s version of “Higher Love,”with a background video expressing the sentiment.

We practiced on weekends for the next couple of months. There were also a few group rehearsals for the all-cast opening number. Not being a dancer, I have a slow learning curve, and I was really dreading November 2. Would I blank out and freeze on stage? Would I trip and fall on my face? Would we be able to pull off the lift? Finally, once my muscle memory kicked in and I had the whole routine memorized, I began to feel more comfortable with the performance.

After the dress rehearsal, I actually started looking forward to the show. The big night finally arrived and we all convened in the green room at the Davis Theater. We bonded through our jittery nerves!

Chris and I were second to last in the lineup, so I had plenty of time to anticipate our dance. But overall, I was pretty happy with my performance. Chris was amazing, as expected; however my nerves got the best of me in the very beginning but I managed to smooth things out as it progressed. We didn’t win any awards—Judges’ Choice, Peoples’ Choice, Most Butts in Seats, Most Money Raised—but we pulled it off successfully and raised a good chunk for the Arts Council.

Am I glad I did Dancing For The Arts? Yes! I learned I can do hard things, that it’s good to stretch myself now and then. But most of all, I was grateful for the many new friends I made. It was an amazing and diverse group of people and I’m so glad I met them!

To see our dance, click here — to see more photos, click here