ShaneMek

Caught in the throes of choreographed rebellion, I surrender myself to the rhythmic pulse of music, my heart beating in sync with its baseline. A palpable silence descends over the audience and the only sound that dances in my ears is the audible gasp of anxiety and anticipation. As the lights dim, I take a deep breath, the cold steel ring of the hoop resting reassuringly beneath my fingertips. This is the part where the world fades, where the familiar adrenaline races through my veins, sharpening my senses, honing my focus. Like a painter before a blank canvas or a poet before a white sheet, we dancers also go to the list, our pre-performance rituals performed with religious dedication. Once more, I trace my fingers along the cool metal ring, solid, unyielding – a testament to power, control. Pushing off from the ground, I ascend, my body spiraling around the hoop, a testament to my strength and control. My grip tightens around the hoop, and as muscles flex, the audience lets out a collective gasp. Their breath echoes my own, my heartbeat soundtracking their anticipation. I soar, up and up, the exhilarating blend of fear and excitement burning through me. Balance, strength, control - these are my tools, honed over the years to create art in the air. Yet, in these moments of seemingly well-calculated control, there’s a raw, wild freedom that fuels my passion, a sense of unrestrained abandon that gives fly to my creativity. As the music reaches its crescendo, I execute a flawless aerial flip, the crowd erupting into applause. For a moment, hanging suspended in the air, time seems to pause. The spotlight shadows my form, my body silhouetted against the darkened backdrop of a packed theatre. It is my domain, my sanctuary, my own personal realm of freedom - built with sweat, wrought with discipline and controlled with an iron will. There is an abstract beauty to this, in the blend of control and freedom. A paradoxical dance, each movement a testament to strength and vulnerability at once. They’re interwoven in every flip, spiral, drop - the strength to execute, the vulnerability to feel, the control to create and the freedom to express. The beats fade, the crowd roars and as I descend, a sense of serenity washes over me. Wrapped in the hush of my breaths, I reflect. It is here, suspended between the ground and the sky, between control and freedom, that I feel most at home. This dance, it’s my heartbeat, my language, my life.