That One Time I Auditioned For Ms. Janet Jackson
Around March of 2018, my mum sent me a video on IG from Janet Jackson saying that she was on a worldwide hunt for dancers for some upcoming projects. Needless to say, I was 1000% down!
I can't lie though, at first, I was a bit nervous and hesitant, not sure if I would actually go through with it, but since it was open to literally everyone around the world, despite age, colour, race and physicality, and since auditions could be submitted on any social media platform, I said, why not!
About a month or so later, sometime in April, I finally got the nerve to put choreography together and asked my friend Mioshi's husband John to put a tune together for me. He mixed a medley of Janet's top dance hits together in 30 seconds and I recruited my sister to record me dancing on my front porch, literally from sunrise to sunset.
It was fun! Dancing again. In heels. Black sweats. A black hat. And a grey shirt that was tied up at the back!
I don't know if any of my neighbours saw me, but I didn't care! I was dancing for JANET. JACKSON!
It had always been a dream of mine to dance for Janet ever since I was a kid and watched her behind-the-scenes VHS tape with my mum, of all her choreography and music videos. It also didn't hurt that by this time, my sis and I had already attended her first State of the World Tour #SOTW in December 2017, and I performed all the choreo in the aisle that was "strictly off-limits" (not to me and the lady in the row in the front of me) LOL!
My mum and aunt didn't think that I was actually gonna go through with the choreography and recording and submitting it, but after hours and hours of blood, sweat and tears, trying to perfect it on the front porch, and annoying my sister in the process, I finally gave it my all, and submitted a final product!
Dancing like that, especially in heels, felt great! It was a workout but an enjoyable one at my own pace. I hadn't danced like that since I was 9 years old and I didn't want to stop!
Even though I wasn't chosen as one of the winners, I was proud of myself for being courageous enough to do something I've always dreamed of doing, even if it was online!
At least now, I can actually say, "I once auditioned for Janet Jackson!"
Check out my audition vid below:
