I hear the cue of the music, soft and beautiful. I hear audience’s applause and my heart is beating like a drum. I start my routine. I do a few simple moves, gliding across the stage. I feel like a swan, tall and graceful.

When the chorus of the song starts, I’m up on my toes. The feeling is indescribable. I feel free as a bird, soaring across the stage. I am flowing calm as a river, yet moving quickly like a rushing wind. It feels like flying.
I look and feel as though the music is moving me. I listen to the sweet melody of the music and it engulfs me. The world is gone and it’s just me and the music. I never lose count because the music is all I here. I never notice all the people because the stage is all I see. I never stumble because graceful is all I am.

As I jump, spin, and glide across the stage, it hits me. This is my escape. My escape from reality, from the world and all its troubles. This is my way out. My escape through dance.