SINGAPORE – It all started with an idea from my editor: “Maybe you could try auditioning for the show.”

The Running Show dance-theatre performance, part of the Esplanade’s da:ns focus weekend, had an open call for those aged 18 to 26 to audition for it.

The show’s New York-based co-creators Monica Bill Barnes, 51, and Robbie Saenz de Viteri, 42, enthusiastically welcomed me for the audition, which I pictured as a fun experience and story.

The show follows the life of a dancer through the eyes of an athlete, and in each city it is performed in, dancers as young as 12 and older dancers in their 70s are cast.

In Singapore, the youngest dancer is 12-year-old ballerina Ainsley Wong. The oldest is Dr Stephanie Burridge, a 69-year-old industry veteran and adjunct lecturer at Lasalle College of the Arts and Singapore Management University.

Unlike the other participants at the audition, I was not there on Tuesday with the goal of dancing in the final show. Work and other commitments meant I would not be able to attend the nightly three-hour rehearsals that had been planned until the opening performance on April 20 at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade.

Rather, this was a challenge to attempt something different with dance and truly put myself out there.

While I took weekly Chinese dance classes from ages four to 11, and danced with my university’s hip-hop team for four years, my journey with dance has never reached professional levels.

Finding the money for classes was one hurdle, finding a studio I was comfortable in was another. The occasional free class I took was not enough to help me keep up with those who trained consistently.

The gaps in my experience are huge, and the dance styles differ greatly. Stepping back into dance classes six months ago, I chose yet another very different genre – pole dancing.

Standing in a dance studio for the audition, I was trying not to feel self-conscious around dancers who clearly had more training and confidence.

The truth is, I have always struggled with confidence as a dancer. Self-consciousness and self-imposed pressure to look good immediately after learning the choreography for each class have often kept me from purely enjoying dance.

Often, I get into my head if I miss a step or two – and feel like everyone has noticed – when the reality is that possibly no one else has caught the misstep.

I certainly felt that way in the first hour of learning the choreography for The Running Show, comparing myself with others who remembered the steps easily while adding their flair to the movements.

It took conscious effort to remind myself that I was there for fun. Once that kicked in, I was able to enjoy the experience and finally have fun and laugh, along with the other auditionees.

Book it/The Running Show

Where: Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade, 8 Raffles Avenue
When: April 20, 8pm, and April 21, 3pm
Admission: From $25
Info: str.sg/kTfg