When our Floor Supervisor, Jasmine Payne, first came to the team and declared, “We need to have a Talent Show,” I was not convinced.
“Another talent show? Why? We already have our monthly Showcase on the last Thursday of every month. We host our annual Coffee House every February for families and friends. Why on earth do we need another performance event?”
Jasmine never wavered. She simply smiled and said, “Trust me. This is going to be great.”
I didn’t see what she could…
Then I began noticing the evolving project: balloon arches, metallic fringe, a spotlight, stanchions, the runway carpet. It felt like this was becoming a much bigger production than I had imagined.
I remember thinking, “This is getting to be a bit much.”
Once again, Jasmine just said, “Hang in there. Trust me on this one.”
So, I stepped back. I figured maybe this would become a learning experience for Jasmine. What I didn’t see was everything that was happening behind the scenes.
Members were signing up. Rehearsals were taking place. Confidence was growing. Nerves were building. Excitement was spreading.
Then the day of the Talent Show arrived.
The lights dimmed. A spotlight illuminated the stage as purple and silver mylar streamers shimmered beneath a canopy of balloons.
The first performer stepped up to sing karaoke, and from that moment on, the room came alive.
One member performed an interpretive dance, becoming so immersed in the music that every one of us in the room was on the edge of our seats; you could have heard a pin drop.
Another member, someone who is generally withdrawn in groups, took the incredible risk of getting up to sing. They began by quietly speaking the lyrics, but by the time the chorus arrived, they were singing at the top of their lungs in front of the entire community.
One artist proudly shared artwork that meant the world to them, inviting all of us to see an important part of who they are.
We closed the afternoon with a member who, in the spur of the moment, decided they wanted to perform “The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing. Before long, the entire room was on its feet… dancing, laughing, singing, and smiling as wide as I’ve ever seen.
It was magical.
Afterward, I found myself asking why this event, one that I had questioned from the very beginning, had been so profoundly different.
And then it hit me.
Our monthly Showcase is incredibly important because it celebrates what our members create in their classes. Our annual Coffee House showcases performances that have been practiced and refined over the course of months.
But this was something entirely different.
This wasn’t about presenting polished work.
This wasn’t about demonstrating what had been learned.
This was about giving people permission to simply be themselves.
Jasmine understood something that I didn’t. She recognized that our members weren’t looking for another opportunity to perform. They were looking for an opportunity to share themselves.
To say, “This is who I am.”
No expectations. No curriculum. No finished product.
Just authenticity of self.
The courage to be vulnerable in front of your peers. The opportunity to share something that brings you joy simply because it is a part of who you are. And then to experience your community celebrating that vulnerability with applause, laughter, encouragement, and love.
That is what made the Talent Show so extraordinary.
In that moment, I realized Jasmine had known exactly what she was doing all along.
And I couldn’t have been more grateful that she trusted her instincts and persisted until the rest of us had the chance to experience the magic she had envisioned from the very beginning.