Reventon began as an obligation; I had to attend two practices per week late at night with a group of strangers. We would come together, learn some steps of the dance, count the song out loud and that was it. At first it was confusing and as I struggled I wondered how this would all fit together — and practices seemed like just another hassle in my schedule. As the weeks went on, however, the awkwardness of meeting new people started dissolving and the initial moves that we were taught were becoming automatic. I was beginning to see where this was going.

As the week of the performance rolled around, however, madness ensued. Practices went from being twice-a-week to daily, and the original dance that we had been learning still needed work. Worse, a new part of the dance was incorporated that we had not yet learned, and at every practice we were being taught something new. Stunts and flips were incorporated costumes had to be altered and a mere two days before the performance was to happen, we were still learning new moves.

Even though we were still working on pulling ourselves together, before we knew it, it was showtime. Only hours before we were to go on, our team gathered together in Healy to practice our dance again and again. But by now I wasn’t just practicing with a random group; this was my group, and I felt bonded to them somehow. As we ironed out the last wrinkles we could hear the drums signaling the start of the show. We were scheduled to go on at the end, so we still had some time.As the other students performed, my group continued to practice our moves and hype each other up. We were in it together — this was a team effort, and that felt great.

It was almost time for our performance, and as I stood behind the curtains my palms started sweating and my mouth went dry. Before I knew it, it was already the last flip, and as my stunt partner landed her flip the lights went out and the audience roared into applause. Everything happened so quickly I could barely believe it, but we had done it! As the rest of the show finished and we said our goodbyes, I realized that Reventon, just like our performance on stage, had happened way too quickly. As we went home I reminisced, but I delighted in the feeling of accomplishment and the exhilaration that still remained.