I breathed in, and all I could smell was hairspray and adrenaline.
Backstage, hair glitter flashed under fluorescent lights, and nervous energy surged like static electricity.
Just how I had felt in my audition, just six months prior.
In the corner of the tunnel, someone was giving themselves a pep talk, and another was in the bathroom fixing their hair.
This is Pulse Alive- not just a performance, but a christening by stage lights, soundtracked by the likes of P!NK and Sheppherd.
I was surrounded by hundreds of students- dancers stretching, musicians tuning, us vocalists clutching our microphones like they were lifelines.
Some were vibrating with barely contained fear (or excitement- it was hard to tell).
Others looked calm, like seasoned professionals who had done this hundreds of times before.
“PRESET FOR DIAMONDS!” A voice yelled.
Oh, man.
The arena was PACKED.
Thousands of people had filled the seats while we were in our own little world taking pictures.
Parents, teachers, strangers- all here for the same thing.
Waiting, watching, their anticipation rising with every passing minute.
It was no longer just a rehearsal at The Arts Unit or on Zoom.
It was a show.
A performance.
A story.
And in a few short seconds, we’d be a part of it.
As we stepped out of the tunnels, the lights hit.
Every ounce of fear had left our bodies, and suddenly, we were alive.
The music exploded, and the stage had become a blur of movement and colour.
Dancers leapt like their feet were on fire.
The choir’s voices soared like angels en route to the heavens.
The showband were locked in, a focus sharp enough to poke someone’s eyes out, fingers flying over their instruments like spellcasters.
Every person on the stage had one mission- to leave everything they had under the burning stage lights.
I don’t remember thinking. I just remember doing.
The energy was too much to process- one minute, we were doing our choreography (flawlessly, may I add), the next, the crowd was ROARING- and we were all covered in sweat, and possibly someone else’s glitter.
And the minute I stepped off the stage, away from my first song, I knew I wanted more.
This wasn’t just a showcase.
This was public school students proving they could own a stage just as much as anyone else.
We have the kind of talent that gets dismissed too easily, but in that moment, we were proving our worth to thousands of people, loud and undeniable.
Every time I stepped onto the stage, I felt untouchable.
“PRESET FOR LIGHT THE FIRE WITHIN!”
“PRESET FOR REACH!”
“PRESET FOR BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY!”
There was no feeling in the world that was comparable to this one.
“PRESET FOR FINALE!”
And just like that, we had sung our final song, and it was over.
De-miking and un-earring backstage, we were breathless, shaky, electric.
Some of us were crying and hugging, others laughing and smiling, some even staring into space like they’d just been ejected into another dimension.
I couldn’t tell if I was exhausted or riding the high of pure adrenaline pumping through my veins.
Probably both.
One thing was for sure: We had set that stage on fire with our hard work and energy.
And in Moree, and back home in Broken Hill, we’d do it all over again.
Pulse will be on stage in Broken Hill next month on Thursday, May 22 at the Broken Hill Civic Centre.
