Sermsah's Fourth Entry
Last week. Oh, last week. What an experience that was! Being up there, last couple to find out if were gonna be Dancing For Our Lives. My heart was going thumpety thump, thump, thump - I was so sure we were gonna get through with our piece, as I was so confident about our routine, but when we were standing there, it made me think otherwise for a moment. But hey, we made it through! Two funny people left the competition - those guys were the two I really looked forward to seeing – they made our day, every day. I'm sad to see them go, but I'm sure bigger and better things are coming their way.
My sister still in town, it's cool she's here and supporting me. She's seen three shows so far. I've also had a couple of good mates hanging round, catching up with me – they've very supportive. It's just good to chill out. I'm learning to take every day with much more confidence and I'm embracing every moment. It's amazing how much you learn when you're under pressure.
Me and Camilla have been getting along really well and getting to know each other a bit more, which is cool. This week it's a fun piece, very intricate and detailed. It's not big like the other pieces; it's a very compact kinda piece. Mainly about timing this piece – another challenge for us. Choreographers are amazing to work with, good people. Very young and talented.
I've been having really early mornings – hard at time to wake up so bloody early! Every now and then it's been difficult to sleep at night; sometimes I'll be staring at the ceiling for up to two hours.
Food is really essential - I have been eating a lot of carbs, which is good. We get food delivered every week, but I've been too slack and tired to cook it, so I've been getting a lot of takeaway.
Yesterday after rehearsal I met heaps of black fellas from QLD (I think, if you're not, sorry) sitting on the front stairs of Sydney Theatre Company. I approached one of the aunties and said hello to her. She was happy to speak to me, and said they were there to see a play, Seven Stages of Grieving, about issues to do with Aboriginal people, and the suffering through the years. It was written by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman, and directed by Leah Purcell. They gave me a free ticket, which I was really appreciative of. I was really inspired by the actress, Lisa Flanagan, she was in Australian Rules, which was written by and directed by Paul Goldman. It was a great show, and talked about the National Sorry Day towards the end. Afterwards I was hanging out to meet Lisa, and had just gone up wrote on the ‘Sorry' on the chalkboard and she was there! We were both happy to see each other, she knew who I was. We ended up having lunch together, she knows a lot of people I know. Good to see black fellas getting out there and representing.
Celebrated my birthday on the 28th of February, and treated myself to a beer and a game on the pokies – I won $200! I'm learning how to economize heaps, I'm not doing as much shopping - would love to but Sydney's too expensive. This black fella's gonna stick to his singlets and foot falcon.
You can always make me happy by: feeding me!
Sermsah's Third Entry
Man, this competition stuff is hardcore Being expected day by day to pull tricks outta your hat is quite a surreal experience. I wasn't happy about hearing Hilton go – I really felt like he was the top male dancer in this competition. And I know Kassy could have done much better than she did, but that day we had worked our asses off doing the group performance piece and with eliminations that night, it was all pretty draining. But you know, this is a competition, and people are expected to leave every week. I suppose it's definitely a reality check for us all to find more focus.
What I'm finding most challenging is having to learn chorey in two days, and then perform it that week. Some of the pieces we do would take a dancer a month to learn and we have to get it in two days – not even that. It's basically six hours! It's been good though, it's been a good experience. I'm not regretting doing it at all. I'm open to challenges, I'm open to learning and gaining new experiences in life. I see this as a stepping stone towards bigger and better things. I don't like to compete, I think we are all our equal in our standards, otherwise we wouldn't be here. It's just hard to see some good friends, people you've made a relationships with, leave.
I've been lucky to have my nephew, my sister and her husband and his family come and watch the show. I've found time to chill out with them. It's really important we get personal time.
It's hard sometimes cuz dancing can bring on old injuries and new, but I tend to work with them and try not complain about them! It's my birthday on Thursday – I'm hoping it's a good day. I would like to sleep in, but I don't see that happening!
Ideal person to play me in a biopic: Cuba Gooding Jnr. He's black, he's handsome, he's charismatic - he'd represent any character with accuracy. Or the guy in Beneath Clouds, Damian Pitt..
Sermsah's Second Entry
.jpg)
The Sunday night show was definitely an experience - doing the first show for this type of competition was pretty nerve racking but I remembered my chorey! That's a good thing. I know I stuffed up on the lift, but I was capable of making that lift, unfortunately, shit happens! I've moved on to our next piece and I have been feeling much more confident, as it's a style I enjoy doing.
I treated myself last night to Hungry Jacks and a movie, Jumper - it wasn't as good as I thought it'd be, but it was good to just chill out and be myself and act human. I've been catching up with old friends; crew that I used to dance with and party with, that's been cool. I spoke to my sister Zalleah (Enid), and she going to come watch the Sunday show, all the way from Darwin. Looking forward to seeing her, and celebrating Mum's birthday together for the 19th Feb.
People have been going on about my confidence - I'm generally a very confident person, and it's nice when I come across the public on the streets, they've been very supportive with their compliments. One man who really stood out for me was this guy who came up to me to congratulate me for making the Top 20, said I had a really good chance of winning. He was a bit pissed, stumbling around, and then he almost got hit by a truck! So my success almost cost someone their life!
Biggest misconception about dancers: That we have attitude, that we're stuck up, full of ourselves – some maybe, but I'm not! You can always say hello to me.
Sermsah's First Entry
.jpg)
Hey everyone, welcome to my blog!
So I'm living with Rhys – that boy is a flamboyant character, very good to talk and down-to-earth. I've lived with many types of people in my life but Rhys is one I'll never forget. He's awesome – it's sort of like a brotherly relationship. He's been good when it comes to getting me up in the morning – he's my personal alarm clock. (I tend to sleep in.) Recently I've been trying to catch up with everyone individually in the Top 20 and find out about them, their stories and their background.
My dance partner is exceptionally intelligent. She's very supportive, very technical and a great energy to work with. She keeps me in line, which is good. There's time when I'll say, ‘I can't, I can't' but she has belief in me and stays positive. She says I'm picking it up really quickly, which is good. The whole show will make me grow as a person and that's amazing.
I know you've seem me crying a lot on the show so far but don't worry, you'll see a happier side of me soon! I'm a pretty happy person and I'm definitely feeling more chilled and less agitated now. I've learnt to breathe and enjoy the ride. Sometimes I freak out a bit when learning corry in completely new styles like jazz, but I think I'm adapting well. When I get stressed I go for a swim at the hotel, or a get massage from the therapist. I've also been receiving lots of messages from family and friends with their support and love. I'm learning to take every day as it comes, not to panic, do what I do and be myself. That's all I can do, I spose.
Tonight I'm catching up for a coffee with my first ever dance teacher, Hartley Williams, an aboriginal dance teacher. He called me up, said he's so proud of me, achieving my dreams. It must be good for him too, having one of his students do what I'm doing. It's great to have people you've worked with say you're doing well.
Fave dance movie: Rize. It's real, it shows the hardships of living in the streets and how they cope, as well as the importance of staying true to yourself.
