My W reluctantly agreed in mid-December to perform as part a formation group at a ballroom competition next week. We had performed with the group in October and didn't feel it was our best performance. As of this week there still had been no practice sessions scheduled, with ten days to go till the competition. My W asked if we could skip this one, making the point that not disappointing the group should not be our prime reason for doing this.
I listened to her and agreed. I also agreed to call the instructor and tell him we were pulling out. I thought I was respectful and articulate when I spoke to him. He didn't argue. I told my W that if I thought we were prepared, and she was being a scaredy-cat, I would push her to do it, but I knew she was right. We both had been conflicted about doing it, but would have performed if there had been adequate practice. The group will go forward without us on this one.
Some people are happy to perform, view it as recreation, and don't care if it's polished or not. My W and I only want to perform if it's a routine we can be proud of. We don't expect perfection from others, but we expect excellence from ourselves.
I want our performance experiences to be positive together. This was the right call. I'm glad my W spoke-up.
CL
CL 53 W 54 M 20 yrs. 03'-09' Separation + Old Patterns + GAL 10-14' Piecing
"The Master allows things to happen. She shapes events as they come."
