My First Cover!// trials and thoughts

Wow! Today marks the day of posting my first dance video, and I can’t decide whether I’m excited or terrified. I usually love performing in front of large audiences, but I never thought that I would go to a public area and dance with my music blasting for the world to hear. This is such a big step from 5 year old Ellie who was petrified at the idea of performing in front of her dance class, and who cried at her first recital from stage fright.

Over the summer, I learned part of As If It’s Your Last by Blackpink, and finished learning the chorus over Thanksgiving Break. I decided that this would be a good dance to film for my first public cover because I was relatively comfortable with the moves and had them engrained into my memory. I also taught my little sister the choreography and convinced (forced) her to dance with me to add a twist to this cover (and I figured if people were going to judge me, it would be better if someone else was being judged with me).

From the video, you wouldn’t think that recording this video took so much work. We filmed this one dance for almost 30 minutes because we had to do another take each time one of us messed up and forgot the choreo, someone walked through the frame, or I tripped over a tree root (this happened more than once!) In the past when I watched other’s dance covers, I never realized the time and effort needed for even a short 30 second long video.

This cover was definitely not the best- I know that I lacked in energy, fluidity, and my facial expressions. However, this video means more to me than the technical aspects of my dancing. I’m proud of myself for stepping out and attempting something that pushed me out of my comfort zone, and that helped me grow as a dancer.

---

An Update on My Quest:

I've enjoyed making time for dancing even with my busy school schedule. I've begun learning Me Gustas Tu, and I even tried to film it once- I don't think it's quite ready to put on my blog though. Keep an eye out for my cover in the next 1-2 months though! This dance is super fun and I can't wait to post a video of it soon!

I also discovered a new choreographer named Akanen whose work I really enjoy watching. Here's a few of my favorite videos of her choreography.

AKANEN x YOSHIKI Workshop | Akanen - "Gangsta"

Swallow Me Down - Chris Brown