Southern Legitimacy Statement: Being in the south and surrounded by so many cultures of dance and music has truly impacted me. I have been able to use music and dance as an escape and a fun way to express myself healthily. I always showed my love for dance and being in the south has inspired me to share my dances with others. It is something that has helped me get through many hardships and I hope to continue dancing and learning more as time goes on.
Band-tober
The 6:30a.m alarm is one sound my body will never get used to hearing. Every week throughout the month of December there are three afterschool practices along with an early Saturday competition that drags until midnight. It may seem like quite the schedule, which I believe it is, only rehearsals are bearable while Saturdays are not.
Either a parade, an expo, or even a competition an hour away, call time is always 8:15. I give myself thirty minutes for a shower and twenty minutes for show hair. After those twenty minutes and ten layers of hairspray comes the most time consuming part, makeup. Coach T made sure everyone had an identical smokey eye with a horrible matte red lip. All of the colorguard protested this look but Coach T had a firm set mind on the look she picked. Though, the shadows projected differently on each girl’s skin. Our team was very diverse in skin tone, hair pattern, and strong opinions.
As everyone begins to wake up and start getting ready, the text messages begin. There were always three occurring text conversations between the team. First, someone needs a ride to the school. Second, someone cannot find either their warm up pants, jazz shoes, or most commonly their red lipstick. The last conversation is the one that caused the most issues, that was the “ngl I don’t feel like going today, y’all can catch me at the next event.”
After endless hours around the same team while doing the same thing, people get tired and choose to not show up. However, I was never one to send that text. Dad paid over $300 for me to commit to this team.
