What No Trophy Could Ever Give

July 2025 Edition

In this Topic

Introduction: When Opportunity Presents Itself
Back in the Groove
Beyond the Perfect Vision
For What It Was

When Opportunity Presents Itself

As some of you may know but I had recently gotten the opportunity to compete once again with G.O.O.D. Project, a dance team that I used to dance on in 2019, on a stage that was BIGGER than any other stage that I had competed on. I was planning on passing on this once in a lifetime experience but I remember someone saying, "To do scary things is to live life." and that made me take the leap of faith to do it. So with that, I wanted to share my whole experience and what I had learned from it.

Back in the Groove

Showing up to the first few dance rehearsals, it felt like I time travelled back to my 21 y/o self––the late nights of learning dance choreography after a long day, meeting up with the gang, ending rehearsals past midnight, and the long, restless drives back home afterward.

However, it wasn't all the same because this time my dance skills weren't at their peak like they used to be, I barely knew half the team, and we were on a tight schedule since we had to create a completely new set within less than a month to compete on a stage that none of us had ever performed on before.

I knew that going through with this for the next month I had to set expectations for myself:

be on my A-game of learning choreography and practicing it outside of rehearsals
approach my training in a way that would complement the choreography, and
place an emphasis to my recovery and diet in the days leading up to performance day

Everything seemed like it would go according to plan, but the reality was that there was much more to consider.

What I didn't expect was:

the memorable moments that I got to create with past & present team members
the unmatched energy that each individual brought in every rehearsal, and
a reminder of the true passion and love each member has for dance itself

Definitely something unplanned but in the best way possible.

Beyond the Perfect Vision

By competition day, the day went by so quickly. One moment we were cleaning the set from top to bottom and the next, we were already performing stage. In fact, the performance was more than what I had hoped for. We were something much better—a living time capsule of past & present, carrying stories in our movements that no amount of extra rehearsal time could have created. In fact, the performance itself gave authenticity and emotional depth that my vision of a "perfect set" never could have achieved.

I wouldn't want it in any other way.

For What It Was

The space between what we expect and what actually happens isn't a disappointment—it's where real growth lies. When we release our grip on how things "should" go, we create room for experiences that can surprise, challenge, and ultimately transform us in ways our limited imagination never could have planned.

Sometimes the most meaningful moments come not from getting what we expected, but from discovering what we never knew we needed. This whole experience, for me, taught me more about resilience through challenges, trusting the process, interdependence with a community that has the same motive as you do, and the true power of shared purpose. Reality, it turns out, is often a far better storyteller than our expectations ever could be.

Life is worth taking risks and to experience moments just like these.

It's unfortunate to say that we weren't able to come home with a trophy but dancing again and going thru this whole experience with this wonderful group of people was something no trophy would ever give.