Performing Art, Performer's Heart

We live for the reactions.
The loud cheers fill our veins with energy.
Some say the music is implanted in their DNA.
One feels a kind of "high" after putting on a show in front of hundreds.
Getting positive critique warms our hearts.
As a performer,
We listen to how long the applause lasts.
There's the polite, mandatory clap that lasts a few seconds.
On the contrary, 
There's the standing ovation that seems to last a lifetime where the player becomes lost in the moment, wondering how they came so far.
We look around to see if anyone's talking during the performance.
Even the dimmest phone screen can reflect off of a person's face.
Hope you were #tweeting how great we sound.
Then the players pay attention to if the audience laughed at a planned spot,
Or if we get a hidden thumbs-up from a judge.
That thumbs-up is the difference between knowing you won the competition or simply false hope.
Any kind of sign that can push us to continue on.
Performers are creative individualists yet are trained to please others.
We have to work for the positive impacts.
Or else,
What's the point of putting on a high-end performance if we're not expected to entertain the crowd?
We live for the reactions.
Those reactions determine if the show goes on and everyone keeps their job, especially in Broadway.
Those reactions differentiate the winner and the loser.
Those reactions build self-esteem.
Lastly, those reactions give the performer a reason to follow through with their craft. A creative person invests in anticipated responses.
-j.b.

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