Waiting behind the curtain to be called out, Iestyn tried not to be overwhelmed with nerves. Taking deep breaths, he tried to picture what Bridget would have said, hear her words of encouragement, but when his name was announced- "and now, the sweet songbird of Wales, flown all the way here to become a city siren. It's the incomparable... Lush Valley!" -all nerves vanished as she stepped out onto the stage, arms spreading wide in welcome. Her voice was softer and lilting as she spoke to the crowd a little before moving into her lip-sync. She'd worked so hard on dance moves, and was wearing a short dress with a lot of leg, so lip-syncing made more sense for tonight and some razzle-dazzle dance moves.
The performance just flew by, impossibly fast, a whirlwind of lights and sound, and as she hit her final mark she was grinning so widely her cheeks hurt. She could hear Henry in the crowd and sought him out to blow him kisses before going back in through the curtains.
Oh wow. This- it was clear how people got addicted to the stage. Feeling like turning cartwheels, Iestyn looked in the mirror in the dressing room and beamed.