Last week I performed my first dance routine in public.  Every few months students are encourage to perform a “spotlight dance” in front of other students and guests. It was scary and amazing at the same time.

This spotlight was close to Christmas so the dance was performed to a holiday song. I actually brought my entire Christmas CD collection into the studio for my instructor Lindsay to go through. Ultimately she selected a song by Enya. We did a waltz, which had quickly become my favourite dance.

I did two lessons a week for several weeks leading up to the big night and we even had a professional dance coach come in to help with the choreography. Preparing and practicing a routine is a lot like planning a wedding: It takes a lot of time but the actual event flies right by. The routine itself was two-and-a-half minutes.

I was so nervous leading up to the performance, but it went flawlessly. It was a fantastic experience, thanks in large part to my instructor Lindsay. My friends Wenn, Ashley, Jonathan and Izabella came out to watch.

When I first started dancing in September I had no idea I would enjoy the performance aspect so much. I can’t wait until the next one.

A big thanks to Wenn for capturing it on video!

Gary Hilson is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for hire. He lives in Toronto.