A Cut Above the Rest

I’ve known her for over two years and till this day I have never once walked away from any of her performances with anything less than pride.

Today, people came to watch her show with their own expectations that they have set, people who have known her separately and outside of school, in a different way that I’ve gotten to know her. But one thing we had in common, was that we all had the bar set in a comfortable place for her art, nothing short of excellent.

I was blown away by the entire production, from the start to the end. I waited in anticipation for her set, and there she was. When the spotlight was cast it quickly became clear who the main attraction was. She trotted around the stage with her moves as graceful as we’ve come to know, and I couldn’t help but realize the smile I had on my face as I saw her get lost in the movement.

Just a couple of days ago she told me about all the pressure she was under to not only do a good show for herself, her teammates, but even her teachers were unrelentingly pushing her to do more and do better. I shared her exasperation toward these external forces.

She thrived under these constant turmoil and she does it the only way she knew how: Dance. I started to slowly realize that it doesn’t matter what others say about her when she’s not dancing, it only counts what they say when she is. I was completely and utterly in awe of what she achieved with what she was given, and am proud to call her a friend.