When a group of teenage girls from Mahomet-Seymour High School in Illinois decided to take a chance on a brand new interpretive dance routine, they probably had all sorts of doubts racing through their minds.
Would they be good enough? What would people think of their unusual moves? And most importantly, could they actually pull off a swift, mid-performance wardrobe change without making the audience cringe?
At first, it didn’t look like things were off to a good start for the nervous girls. They teens were sporting very plain-looking black leotards, and there was no background music to speak of. By all appearances, they were total amateurs!
However, this seemingly mundane performance soon took a wildly different turn the moment a male voice on the loudspeaker suddenly blurted out:
“What room does fear have when I lean on hope?”
Right on cue, the girls on the left leaned back in fear, while their counterparts over to the right leaned towards them with nothing but hope in their hearts.
The two dancers in the middle can be seen supporting one another as a silent montage to the perfectly choreographed words.
Sometimes there is stark beauty in the simplicity of positivity.
Which is probably why, in lieu of hip-hop or the latest pop song, the teens chose to have Jon Jorgenson’s spoken word track, “What Are You Afraid Of,” lift their performance to a whole new level.
“I used to be afraid of tomorrow. Afraid that who I was would continually dictate who I am and that who I would be might be someone who I didn’t like very much at all…as if there was no such thing as being made new.”
With no blingy outfits or heart-pounding music to serve as a distraction, all the audience could do was gawk and stare as the teens brought moving art to Jon Jorgenson’s fearless affirmations.
“I used to be afraid of opinions. Afraid that though words could not break my bones, they certainly would shatter my dreams…as though I started doing this for the approval of many rather than the glory of One.”
We’re all afraid when we’re alone with our own thoughts. But, there’s power in unity.
“I used to be afraid of failure. Afraid of losing. Afraid of falling. Afraid of being wrong, creating busts, and looking absolutely stupid because who am I to even try and make a difference? As if those setbacks were anything more than the laying down of stepping stones on the road to success.”
As Jon’s voice grew fiercer and louder, these beautiful young women formed a solid pyramid, so they could express how the stepping stones to success can be found in teamwork, not isolation.
“But then I did a little research. And by that, I mean I re-searched, and I re-searched, and I re-searched, over and over again, and through all of my re-searching, I kept coming up with the same exact question: What room does fear have?”
None! Halfway through their stunning dance routine, the girls surprised the crowd with a sudden wardrobe change!
According to Mahomet-Seymour senior Autumn Hodge, who spoke to The Pantagraph, the sudden switch symbolized something greater than just black and white.
“The wardrobe change symbolized starting afraid and insecure to suddenly letting go of your fears.”
Letting go of their fears is exactly what each and every one of these young ladies did!
These amazing teens have shown their strengths, grace, and talent through their translation of spoken word art. Watch the video below to see why fear has no room in any of our lives.
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