By Christine Paradis
Ever had that awful dream where you’re up on stage, performing in front of a huge audience, only to look down and realize you’re not wearing your pants?  Well, for Fitchburg State student Brooke Garnick, that was a reality during the dance show that took place earlier this month.  Luckily, no one really seemed to care.  “I forgot to wear the shorts over my leotard for ballet.  It wasn’t that big of a deal, but I was thinking ‘Oh no! I forgot!’” says Garnick of her wardrobe mishap.
This is understandable, given the hurried pace that the performers need to keep up backstage, which can get quite busy during the show.  Garnick says she had to change costumes in the stage wings in order to make her cues for the succession of dances.
Other than that minor incident, however, the show went off without a hitch.  “It went pretty good,” says Garnick.  “I don’t really know what people thought, but most people came up to me and said I did a good job.  I was busy most of the time though.”  She continues, “I didn’t really know what to expect.  I knew I was in a lot of dances, so I knew I would be busy.  I didn’t mess up so that’s good.”
Garnick had a couple of favorite dance numbers of the night as well.  “From the ones that I was in, my favorites were Broadway and modern.  Broadway was fun because we got to jump around and be happy, and modern is kind of like lyrical but not as formal.”
With so much time and hard work put into this production, the highlight of the show for Garnick comes as no surprise. “The finale when the officers and teachers dance, and then the whole club comes out and everyone bows- that part is fun because it’s like ‘It’s over, we did it!’  Then we’re all up there dancing to whatever song and having fun.”
Garnick says, “In general, people who go say it’s fun and they like to see their peers and friends dance.  It’s fun to experience what a show is like, especially if you’ve never been to one.”