Brendan’s critical voice faded from my mind, and I rediscovered how much I loved dancing when nobody else controlled what it meant.
Six months later, I performed a short solo at a local community theater.
My father filmed the entire performance with his phone angled too low, while my mother cried in the audience.
Another dancer uploaded a clip online. It never went viral, but an independent dance company in Phoenix saw it and invited me to audition for its upcoming season.
My first thought was that I wasn’t good
