The bright spotlights, the freshly cleaned stage, I feared it.
I was scared to be on a stage in front of an audience. My stage fright started in kindergarten, and it was a recital they had planned for weeks. All you need to know is that when I got on stage, I started to bawl my eyes out. Ever since that day, I never thought I would go on stage again. At least, until high school happened.
The high school I went to has a musical theatre program that they were immensely popular for. They performed various musicals such as Little Shop of Horrors, Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, and Guys and Dolls. When I got to the auditorium and auditioned, I was extremely nervous. My palms were sweaty, my voice started to crack, and I could not stop breathing so heavily. When I scored an ensemble role in the musical, I was so happy. I always had a love for singing and dancing. Now, what got me into it was a Disney Channel movie trilogy that I will still re-watch even today.
Half the time when I talk to my friends, I have always asked them, “Have you ever watched The Cheetah Girls?” There are times when people will respond with “OMG I love that movie!” or “What are you talking about?”
You see, The Cheetah Girls is my favorite Disney movie of all time. It is about four girls who have dreamed of making it far into the music industry as a female band. But, while trying to pursue that dream, they must also balance their normal lives of going to school. In the end, not only do they become well-known, but their friendship has become so much stronger than it once was. The first three movies starred Adrienne Bailon-Houghton as Chanel, Raven-Symone as Galleria, Sabrina Bryan as Dorinda, and Kiely Williams as Aqua.
To be honest, this movie is so much more than a movie that just aired on Disney. It is a movie that shaped my future for the better. If it weren’t for me getting shown that movie when I was younger, I would have never understood the love I have for singing and dancing.
Not only that, but The Cheetah Girls also showed me what it is like to be a part of a sisterhood. I know when I joined Her Campus, it was very much giving Cheetah Girls core and I loved every second of it.
I know if someone were to ask me which character I relate to the most, my answer would always be Dorinda. She is lighthearted and generous, and she also loves to sing and dance as well. So, I feel like I see so much of myself in her every time she appears on the screen.
So, to whoever had the idea to make those movies, I just wanted to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. After trying musical theatre, I ended up falling in love with it. You taught me how to chase after what I want while having a fun time doing it. I don’t care how long it has been since you were first released, in my eyes, you will forever be cheetah-licious.