Just last month I conquered TRDO Solo even though I kept telling myself I couldn't do it. Never in my life had I had the courage to do a solo Solo even though I like being in the limelight (on stage) haha.
My mind was in this internal struggle for the longest time ever since I hit the 'Submit' button 2 minutes before the registration deadline, and it was only 'released' after Stage Run on the very day of Finals.
I can't thank my friends enough, especially those who have checked on me and ended up hearing my insecurities and frustrations over and over again. I was so afraid of being judged by the other Finalists for putting up a sucky choreography, and because I was the 1st to go onstage for Finals, I was also scared I would set a very low benchmark and make the whole opening a flop.
Yeah I know, I'm probably the most pessimistic person alive and the most depressing thoughts go through in my head, but times like this I really couldn't help it :(
I joined the competiton for a few reasons, all of them planted in my head by my friends haha. But they revolved around the idea that I'm never gonna get any younger and I shouldn't wait any longer because there's never a time to 'be ready'. Which were so true.
Heats @ SP Sports Arena - 15th March 2016
(Photography by Thomas Tan)
During the Heats round, we were required to learn a 1.5 minutes routine on the spot. It didn't scare me initially when I knew about it, but as the day came nearer and nearer the thought of it suddenly became very nerve-wrecking. Especially after knowing who I was up against.
Learning the 1.5 minutes choreo (with like 100 eights LOL) from Ryan which didn't start off too bad.........:
....... then we had to perform to the judges facing a different direction after a 10-minute self-practice.
I was VERY thrown off by the change for some reason. Usually facing a different direction would mean just ending up at weird positions for some steps, but this time I couldn't even remember 90% of the moves I really panicked!!! I had to ask Clarice to go through with me a few times and I was honestly scared I wouldn't make it because the rest of them got the hang of it so quickly?! :(
But thankfully during the actual runs (we had about 4 each?) I managed to remember everything, though many commented I was very unstable at the 1st 2 rounds.
And the 4 runs were such killers, with the poor ventilation making things worse.
With Cheryl! Check out those perspiration hahaha:
Windy hehee thanks for coming dowwwwnn:
Very thankful to be given the opportunity to get into the next round!!
These were the selected 15 who got into Finals!:
Drew lots and I was contestant #1 for Finals omg... that freaked me out even more lol.
Because nobody wanted to get #1, someone kept asking: "Who's number 1?? Who got number 1??"
The next moment from my mouth came a very loud and long "Meeeeeeeee!!!" and then everyone started laughing. NOOooOOO.
I have the tendency to pick the front few numbers, but this was my first '1' hahaha. I am also someone who does not like to lead/start things off so this was a huge mental obstacle for me.
It was the most crazy (physically and mentally) audition I've been to but I'm glad I conquered it!!
Finals @ SP Auditorium - 18th March 2016
(Official photography by Poey YT and Thomas Tan)
Finals was the 3rd day after Heats, with most of us were paralysed the day following Heats because of Ryan's choreo hahaha.
"If you can survive Ryan's audition, you can survive anything." HAHA that was the quote of the day from the Finalists.
Group photoshoot before the competition!
1 more hour to showtime + shouting out for the IDS Diamond Dust (DD) Perfector hahaha. Sorry for the total opposites in facial expressions:
Our Top 15 Opening item:
Ending pose! All was good until.......:
... this:
HAHAHA spot my final expression. Sigh:
And here are the photos from my Solo!:
It was only after my turn that I was so relieved that I was the 1st to go on hahaha.
While waiting for everyone else to be done:
We were then brought on stage again for the results for the Top 5!
The respective solo music were played to announce each winner.
Nikki!:
And of course, Clarice:
The 3rd to be called was Min Li, but there isn't any photo of her :(
The next few minutes were epic confusion hahahaha. Apparently my music was played... but I didn't hear the 1st note so it came off unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time so I just stood on the spot. Plus given my pessimistic thoughts (aiyah, won't get it one lah) I didn't think it was gonna be me anyway. And from the audience seats came "Cheryl!!", whose music started out very similar to mine and so she stepped out but looking a little confused.
Then when the lyrics came in, everyone was like looking around after realising it wasn't Cheryl's.... a few seconds later I stepped out. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG IT'S ME. Nikki rushed to pick me up immediately hahahaha:
"WHY YOU NEVER STEP OUT?!?!!" was what I got bombarded with by the rest. "I didn't recognise my song!!"
Thankfully the 5th to be called was Cheryl HAHAHAHA. She was telling me "Imagine if I wasn't even in the Top 5!! It is gonna be so embarrassing!!" HAHAHAHAHA SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION. I wished I could find the video of the scene... it was really really epic.
So... the Top 5 has a Special Segment where we would each get to improvise/freestyle to a prop, a situation/scenario and a certain song. Which was something I wasn't looking forward to and didn't want to be involved in ahahaha. ("I want to be Top5 but I don't want to do this segment!")
This competition was like everything thrown to me at the same time...!!! D:
The prop that we were supposed to work with.
("Omg can I not freestyle?? I'm just gonna lie down there and sleep."):
We were brought outside of the Auditorium to get plugged-in so we would not know the song + situation given to us.
I was the 4th contestant for this round:
While it was Minli's turn inside:
When it was just Cheryl and I left outside the Audi, all I screamed to her was: "Cheryl I can't do this!!!! I really cannot. I'm gonna embarrass myself."
But I had to go in anyway....:
My expressions after knowing the scenario - 'Imagine you are now waiting for your results. And then you are crowned the ULTIMATE SOLOIST.' Err what...??
And there went (a horribly long) 1.5 minutes of my life on stage... getting laughed at by hundreds of audience ("That was SO you Wenhui / It was totally your true self there / Omg your modelling poses all came out.").
Yeah, and my last action/pose (not shown) was the most talked about topic for the following few days sigh.... I told you I can't do it. But glad it was over.
And then it was the announcement of our ULTIMATE SOLOIST!!!
NIKKI!!!! :D :D :D
Too happy for her I cried hahaha:
And the rest of the 4 of us were the Super Soloists!:
Jessica!
Hahahaha. I'm probably 8-10 years older than her but why do I look so much more immatured......:
Thank you Aru and Hannah for talking sense into me before the compeitition!!
Marcus and Windy! Put you 2 side by side... hehehe:
Yanping and Chen Min:
Friends from The Dance Floor Season 2! Thanks for supporting:
And last year's O School Recital team mates :D
Gifts from friends which were mostly food hahaha you all know me too well. And thank you for the herbal drinks!!
This competition was probably the biggest challenge of my life yet.... putting myself out there regardless of the consequences and forcing myself to face it, do it and complete it. Pulling out was an easy option but the inner me told me that I'd regret if I did so.
I really learnt a lot through this, and I definitely grew as a dancer... I think I'm slightly more confident than before hahaha.
Finally, here's the full video to my Solo piece! Thanks Jo for videoing! :)
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