You can’t hide your talents

 From 1993 to 1995, I was in a unique place.

I was working for the State of Florida.  I had relocated to my college hometown of Tampa, Florida.  I was enrolled in a Master’s program.  I re-engaged with my fraternity brothers and friends after being away for a year.

Another thing happened that I didn’t expect.

I became a dancer, a stepper, and a choreographer.

Anyone who knows me know that I love to dance.  That’s not a surprise.   Anyone who really knows me know that I love stepping (I have been stepping since 1988 so no shock there).

However, in 1993 and 1994, I found myself in the unique position of being a choreographer.   And it happened in a weird kind of way.

At the time, one of my best friends, Frank, had started a production label called “T.R.I.” (Tuxedo Recording International).   He and I had been friends (and brothers) since college so I had followed his music career as a musician fairly closely.  When he started his label, he took off quickly.  He gained quite a few artists in a short period of time.  What I didn’t expect was him pulling me into his world.

The first time popped up when Frank was reached to provide an opening artist for the R&B group “The Good Girls”.  He had a female duo and so he asked me to serve a co-choreographer.   It wasn’t too difficult.  The guy I was working with called another guy and had a prepared routine.  I created an additional routine which the artists could perform with us while we were backup dancing.

We performed and I had a blast.  However, I treated it as a ‘one off’.  The music business was my friend’s thing.   I was busy focusing on Grad school.

Then, the second opportunity presented itself.

Frank had this great artist with a booming voice.   He wanted to create a look for her so he asked me if I could pull some of my fraternity brothers and create a step/dance routine.  Again, at the time, I didn’t think of it.  So, I asked a couple of frat brothers to form a 4 man dance troop.  

The next thing I know, Frank is telling me that he has entered his artist into a talent show with first place being a recording contract with a major label.  Again, at the time, I didn’t stress over it.  She had a great voice but I didn’t know or care if she won.  I was hanging out with Frank.  I was hanging out with my frat brothers.  It was all good.

So, I put together a routine.   In my mind, it was no heavy lifting.  We get to the talent show which is in a Hilton ballroom.  To my surprise, there was a nice sized crowd. Again, not moved.   We were there and watched the other talent.  We had to get out of the prelims in order to make it to the final which was in another month.  Again, I am not moved one way or another.

As fate would have it, we were last.  We had watched all of the other talent.  Nobody really stood out.   Most people threw some things together because they thought they could sing or dance.    

Then, we took the stage. And BOOM!  The crowd went wild!  We had a unique opening which involved sliding between legs, dropping it like it’s hot, and stepping.  Frank did the music which had a hard hitting intro.  She hit a jamming note.  And now, ALL EYES ON US!  

We went full throttle for 4 minutes and when it was done, all of us, including the singer, were sweating.  The crowd was on its feet.  We won the prelims.  And all of us were getting autograph requests.  Let’s say I did NOT see this coming. 

And so now, we have to wait a month for the FINALS.  But it got better.

Frank gets a call asking him if he has a female artist that can open for a headliner in Ybor City, Florida.  The headliner specifically requires females to open for them.

Who is the Headliner??

TEENA MARIE!!!

And now, instead of one song, I have to prepare another routine for a second song.   WTH???

So, here I am, a grad school student, a state employee, in the position of being a background dancer opening for an act opening for Teena Marie.  And I enjoyed EVERY MINUTE OF IT (and did I mention that I got to meet her?? SWEET!)

Unfortunately, the ride came to a stop.  The artist didn’t win in the final.   She went in a different direction and I went back to my studies.  The funny thing was, Frank told me there would be other opportunities (He actually got inquiries about the background dancers and me as a choreographer) if I wanted them.  The problem was that I never truly believed I was a choreographer.  In my mind, I was someone who was a natural dancer who also happened to be a stepmaster (which I never appreciated is actually a choreographer. DUH!!!).  

The fascinating part was that AFTER the show, I would go on to choreograph / step master multiple groups (Men, Women, Children, Adults).   Everything I did for those two artists, I would do multiple times over.  Who knew?

So remember, you can hide your talents from yourself but you can’t hide your talents from others.