The Very Best: Part 1

This first blog in the series is one of my favorites. It documents a whole bunch of moments that I never want to forget with one of my very best friends:

I’d always known who Sarah was, but before we started getting to know each other, I can’t recall the last conversation we had. I remember that Sarah was an incredible dancer and I was always a little jealous of her because she embodied the dancer that I wanted to be. In 6th grade choir, I remember that she did a dance while a few of her friends sang a song and I thought that was SO COOL and I remember being amazed at her skills (spoiler alert: nothing has changed).

It wasn’t until junior year of high school when we became really close, but of course, being the person that I am, there HAD to be an awkward conversation to start off the friendship. That year, our musical was Crazy for You and we had gotten the part of best friends in the show: Tess and Patsy. This awkward encounter took place after the cast list had come out for the musical: At that time, Sarah worked at Cracker Barrel, and one day, my mom, dad, and I decided to go for dinner. Sarah was a hostess that night, and she walked us to our table. She mentioned the musical and I, of course, said something really awkward, but I can’t remember what it was (disclaimer: she’s the one that pointed out that this was an awkward conversation. I’d never really thought about it until she mentioned it).

Sarah and me after our last show of "Crazy for You"

Shortly after that, rehearsals started and we were put next to each other for almost every single scene, which basically forced us to always find something to talk about. To my surprise, this was a very easy thing to do. Normally, I’m not very good at making conversation or being myself around new people, but I found Sarah very easy to be around. She was hilarious and seemed to know every possible way to make me laugh. I’m pretty sure we disrupted so many scenes because we were just laughing together. That was the year I fell back in love with dance.

I decided to pack away my pom poms and pull out my dancing shoes. Naturally, I asked Sarah if she would try out for the dance team with me, and expecting her to say no, I was shocked when she said yes. There was one condition: If one of us didn’t make the team, both of us didn’t make the team. We came in a pair or nothing at all… But we both made the team so it didn’t really matter anyway.

After making the team, summer passed and we found out that the musical we were performing that year would be Seussical the Musical, which both of us had never heard of. Originally, the director asked if I wanted to choreograph the musical, but I instantly knew there was no way I could do it by myself, so again, I asked Sarah if she would do this with me, and expecting her to say no, I was shocked when she said yes. Thus, beginning our journey as co-choreographers. In late September, early November, we started coming up with all different styles of dances for the show. We had a lyrical dance, a disco/jazz themed dance, and even managed to fit tap dancing in the mix as well. Before auditions, the director asked us what parts we wanted in the musical and told us we could either go for Bird Girls or Thing 1 and Thing 2. Naturally, we wanted Thing 1 and 2. We had so many fun ideas about the silly things we could do as those characters, but our fun came to a screeching halt when the cast list was released. Sarah had gotten the part of Thing 1, and I remember being so devastated when I didn’t see my name next to Thing 2. Although I’d gotten a role I’d only dreamt of having, a part of me felt like I belonged next to Sarah on stage because that’s where I’d been the last year. Throughout rehearsals, I had a ton of fun with my character, but seeing Sarah go on stage as Thing 1 and not being by her side was hard for me. We’d planned so many things that we never got to do, but I have to admit, I loved watching her on stage. Sarah can light up a whole room when she’s there. She’s confident and she’s free when she’s performing, and that was really evident while watching the show. She seized every little moment that she was out there, and nothing made me happier than to sit in the audience and watch her grace the stage.

Gertrude and Thing 1

In the midst of all of this, Sarah and I started the dance team together. We were mostly always by each other’s side because we were two newbies and didn’t really know anyone else on the team. While learning dances, everyone would get into groups of two or three and we would perform in front of the team to give feedback and critiques. Obviously, Sarah and I picked each other as partners, and once, when we finished performing the small part of a routine we’d learned previously, we were told by our coach that we were in sync the whole time and that we looked almost identical as we danced together. Honestly, that was a really cool thing to me because it was a simple demonstration of how close we really are and how easily we get along. Throughout the season, we performed many different places like at our school and at showcases and competitions, and for me, all of these things were firsts, but watching Sarah re-immerse herself into something she used to love so deeply was so cool to see. That girl LOVES to dance and she is so incredibly good at it (I know because she taught me a lot of the things that I didn’t get… Which was most things).

Sarah and me at the state competition

I could never have asked for a better person to go through such amazing moments with. I never, ever thought I’d be able to write a whole blog post about one person and all of our memories together that we made in the span of a year. I am so blessed to be able to call Sarah my best friend. It’s crazy to me that we started out as absolute strangers, and even after an awkward first conversation, she still wanted to be my friend. It takes a strong, confident person to be able to so easily step outside of their comfort zone. Sarah has taught me so many things about happiness, friendship, and who I am as a person. Without her, a part of me would be left unexplored.

Sarah, you are one incredible person with a heart so big that most people couldn’t fathom the size. You are the funniest human I’ve ever met while also being the kindest and most respectful. You take challenges head on and face obstacles with fortitude. You are accepting, caring, trustworthy, and all of the cliché words used to describe best friends, but for me, you’ve given all of these words a new meaning. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me not just about dance but also about the meaning of love and friendship. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and always being silly with me. Our inside jokes are endless, and I can’t wait to make a million more. I love and am so very proud of you, Sarah. Keep changing the world because there’s no doubt that you’ve changed mine.

Started high school as strangers, ended high school as best friends