It was loud.
To little four year old Angela, there was just one word that came to her mind when she saw the people on the stage move their bodies in rhythm to the loud music
She was moved. So moved that she didn't know when she came off her seat and was moving to the stage to get a better look
Her father had to lift her up so she could stand on his lap just so she could see above the heads of the people sitting in her front.
With her newly found vision, she could see the magic happening in the front way clearer.
The flashing lights, loud music and the dancers moving in perfect sync in tune with the music.
They flipped, landing with a large bang with their feet on the floor. The crowd went wild as the lights became stable again.
The dancers held their final poses for a moment, soaking in the applause while Angela just stared at them breathless.
"Give it up for Break flow!" The announcer came on the stage raising a round of applause for the dancers.
Abigail just stared, her heart filled with an emotion her 4 year old heart couldn't understand.
The dancers came down the stage and Abigail wanted to meet them.
She jumped off her dad's lap and ran towards the group who were walking down the side.
Another dance group was already on stage, their loud music and the loud cheer from the crowds drowned out her father's voice calling out to her.
Angela weaved through the crowd, following the bright purple trousers that the dancers wore on stage till she got to an empty stage outside the arena.
The dancers were there, sitting down on the floor a few steps away and talking.
As she came closer she could hear their voices.
"Great Flip out there Josh."
"Thanks David. Esther nearly gave me a heart attack with her splits. I almost landed on your leg."
"That was a close one. I could feel your shoe a little bit on my trousers." Esther said laughing.
"It's not funny." Josh reprimanded
"That could have ended up very bad."..
"But it didn't," David said, cutting in before the fight escalated.
"And I feel we left a really good impression on the fans, especially her." He shook his head towards Angela who stood watching the three dancers cool down.
Angela grew small as she watched the three of them fix their gaze on her.
"Is she lost?" Josh asked.
"She looks so cute" Esther gushed
"I saw her when we were dancing, I think her dad held her up." David explained as he stood up to meet Angela.
"Hello there, I'm David, what's your name?"
"Angela. I loved your dance!" She blurted out more instantly at ease cause of his bright smile and warm eyes.
"Yes, I do love her!" Esther announced.
"Thank you Angela, we love our dance too. How did it make you feel?" Josh said coming up to her.
"You jumped and tumbled, it felt scary, and then you landed so close to her, and then she stood up and cartwheeled." Angela explained excitedly with points, sound effects and hand signals.
"I want to be a dancer just like you too." She said holding Esther's hand.
"Of course you can. It's just to feel the music..."
"Hey, I think that's her Dad." Josh pointed at the guy running at them.
"Just feel the music Angela, you can be all you want to be." Esther gave her the last piece of advice before allowing her dad scoop her up.
"David apologized and spoke with the Dad to clear up the misunderstanding. Angela was scolded too but the consequences of her actions were minimal. Esther's words stuck like glue.
And now, 16 years later, on the same stage where she met the dancers, the words flew back into her head as she took her starting position before the music started.
It has been 16 years, training, failings, sweat, blood and tears and now she's in the finals, competing for sponsorships, scholarships and a huge sum of money.
She steadied her nerves, it was her final and most important choreography. It would be 90 seconds, just 90 seconds to wow the crowd and judges.
"It's alright Angela, just feel the music." She whispered the words to herself, calming her nerves.
At her nod, the music began.
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