Dancing in the Dark

5. The Big Smoke

Travel, my darling. See the world in all its glory. The world is a marvelous place filled with such amazement.

Befriend all that you meet, having friends is a wonderful feeling. To have people with you on your journey towards happiness. Success is not the key to being happy.

Having fulfillment of laughter, love, kindness and humanity is.

Don't judge people by their background or their colour. Don't judge people like a cover of a book. They might have the most interesting and funny stories, they might the best of friends, they might become the love of your life.

Go dancing and singing, ice skate and take long walks. Hike up a mountain and slide down waterfalls.

Live, my darling. Life is an adventure, only you get to choose what to do next.

You will never be alone, I promise you that. I will always be there for you, no matter what.

Always smile brightly, my love. You shine so bright now, I just know you alone will light a whole city.

And one day, a whole world. You will become the whole world to someone.

December 2017
Being in London for nearly two weeks and I've finally enrolled. I had a unit I was sharing with other dancers, Giselle and Pablo.

I met them at the academy when I first went in and they offered me a room they had spare. Apparently their room mate left, retiring, I think they said. Us dancers, once we hit a certain age, we understand we shouldn't dance no more, not professionally. Especially when we have done injuries to ourselves.

Giselle was a lovely girl. She was tall and slender just like me. Her orange and brown hair wasn't too long but it could still be held in a bun. She was funny and had a relaxed personality about her. She was always happy and her skin was so pale, even more than mine.

Pablo was exotic. He was from Portugal and his sunkissed skin was so dark, not black, but darker than an olive complexion. His black hair and dark eyes at first creeped me out but as I got to know him, he was a great bloke. He was kind and gentle and a terrific dancer.

They invited me to practice with them every morning, from five till seven before breakfast.

I felt like I belonged. I always did in a dance studio but this felt right, like I made the best decision of my life. They dragged me with them on their night outs and since I only packed my dance clothes, my training clothes, some pyjamas and normal clothes, Giselle let me borrow a couple items.

That's where I met Edward, Sarah, Elizabeth and Dante. I found it ironic I met them at a club but they were all dancers as well. Edward and Sarah were an item and have grown up with Giselle, here in London.

Dante was a huge homosexual and the sweetest man I've met in a long time. Elizabeth, or Lizzy, was a dancer, but not ballet. She was in to jazz and ballroom and she was short and a bit thick around the legs, but she didn't care. Our legs, our feet, they are our most valuable assets.

With these new friends, I was introduced to clubbing and shopping and just chilling out at one of our apartments. I never really experienced this because I was always so focused to get here. To get where I am now.

I kept in contact with my other friends from dancing, with my family as well. I posted on social media the fun I was having and also our rehearsals. It may be the end of December but the real dancing won't resume till another couple days.