The community braves the miserable weather to support the dancers!
After accidentally becoming Simon Cowell over the weekend, a shining moment of humanity left one Capetonian grateful for the grey skies. At a competition for dancers and dreamers, where the crowd voted, there was an overwhelming sensation: everyone braved the weather (for no benefit themselves) just to support the dreams of others:
Cape Town, South Africa (19 August 2024) — By pure coincidence, I was lucky enough to find myself sitting in Simon Cowell’s proverbial chair as talent judge for dancers and dreamers this weekend…, writes Ashleigh accidentally from Good Things Guy.
Now I have to admit – this was not on my agenda for a Saturday afternoon full of clouds and gloomy skies (like many other locals, I was planning to spend this weather hibernating). But what started out as curiosity soon turned into such a heartwarming experience that no grey cloud could stand in my way.
While I don’t think Simon and I have that much in common, we both have a nose for talent. And boy, was there plenty of it in Cape Town on Saturday, as dancers and dreamers from all over Cape Town vied for the coveted opportunity to represent the city at the upcoming Redbull Dance Your Style Nationals.
I wasn’t the only Simon, of course. What started with me wondering if Rudi Smit would be performing at the V&A soon evolved into me and others in the audience putting on our talent judge hats for a dance competition – and voting on who was getting closer to their dream with each wave of our vocals.
We’ve all seen the breakdancers compete in the Olympics (and we all have an opinion on that), but seeing grassroots talent live is something else entirely. I marveled as people adapted their moves to any song without hesitation or preparation. I gasped as they moved their limbs in a way that made you think they had no bones. And I clapped loudly and proudly when the dancer who had given it his all and was about to give up got the news that he had made it to the next round.
But that’s not the heartwarming part.
This fight lasted for hours. Hours outdoors in gloomy weather. Hours under threatening clouds. In rain and icy wind. And during this time the stands remained remarkably full.
Full of cheers. Full of smiling faces. Full of newbies and those who had been there since the first Battle. The community support for the dancers without their names in lights, from people with no incentive to be there and no good weather on our side was immense. People left their shopping to go outside in the rain. They got out umbrellas. They told their friends. And that got me thinking:
When we are just starting to pursue our dreams, we can easily become discouraged because we are afraid that no one will support us.
“What if no one buys the book when I write it?”
“What if no one is interested in the initiative I want to start?”
“What if no one supports my business?”
And what if they do?
The problem with fear is that it’s almost always worse before it happens. The worst part isn’t the performance. It’s walking up the steps to the stage. And you’d be surprised how many helping hands will make sure you get on that damn stage, no matter what.
In a world where we’re often warned about haters of our success and journeys, not enough credit is given to the supporters. The strangers who cheered for you from the beginning. The humble followers who liked your content before it went viral. The friends and family who celebrated your very first sale. The crowds who sat in the rain to help you achieve your dream.
They tell us to dance in the rain of life’s adversities, but they forget to mention how many people applaud us when we do so. How many join in?
People believe in other people. Good Things Guy wouldn’t exist if they didn’t! And sometimes you just have to be brave enough to say, “What if they supported me?” to find out how much people really care about you.
