This Isn't It (A Michael Jackson Story)

Chapter 3 - The Nokia Theatre

I drive up closer to the theatre. I look at the parking lot in the distance, which looks completely filled, so I parallel park near the curb. Looking around, I grab all of the things that I will need; my audition form, my jet black fedora, my phone, my earbuds, and my water bottle. I take one last deep breath. There is no turning back now. I open the car door and step outside. It became very warm out, so I slide out of my jacket and throw it into the car. Closing the door, I step onto the sidewalk in my sparkling heels. I lock the car, and start to walk up to the Nokia Theatre.

Once I get closer, I can see that there are many other people waiting outside the doors. Most of them are listening to music, some are dancing to entertain the others, and some are just stand there, quietly. I takes me a while to walk over to where the line seems to end. I admire the beautiful California buildings and skyscrapers as I walk along the perimeter of the Nokia Theatre. The Staples Centre is right across the road, suddenly looking very intimidating.

When I finally get to the end of the line, I look around cautiously, and step into line. I am standing behind a boy wearing a simple fedora and a tie-dyed t-shirt. Eventually he turns around to see me.

"Hey, my name's Daniel." He says, holding out his hand.

I reach out and shake it. I smile.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Daniella." I say, cracking a small smile at our similar names.

He laughs. "Nice name!"

Daniel rocks back and forth on his heels. He looks a few years older than me, but is only slightly taller.

"So, you're a dancer? He asks.

"Yep." I reply. "I love dancing, it's my life."

"Same here." He says with a smile. "I'm a little nervous about today though."

I laugh a little.

"Don't worry, I'm nervous too. I mean come on, it's Michael Jackson we're dancing for!"

"It's hard to believe that we're actually going to see him, isn't it?" He asks with a grin.

"I still can't believe it! He's been my idol for a long time."

"Really? Me too!" He replies.

"Do you have a favourite song of his?"

"Wow...that's a tough question!" He says. "...I love Dangerous, Billie Jean, Scream, 2 Bad, Off The Wall...I could go on forever! What are your favourite songs?"

"Well I think that my all time favourite is Human Nature, but I also love Bad, Tabloid Junkie, Who Is It, Stranger In Moscow...basically everything that Michael sings."

Daniel smiles warmly.

"So, where are you from?" I ask.

"I'm from Canada. Well, Ontario to be more specific." He explains.

"Wow, it must've taken a long time to get here! I've always wanted to visit Canada." I say.

I've never considered visiting Canada, but being the socially awkward person I am, I don't know how else to respond to Daniel.

"Yeah, the flight was a few hours long. It was alright though, listening to music passed the time." He says with a smile.

"What kind of music?" I ask.

"...Michael's music." He says, grinning, but looking slightly embarrased at the same time.

I laugh a little, but I'm interrupted by a loud voice.

"Welcome! Welcome....hello, nice to meet you." Someone says.

The voice comes from far in front of us, but it's coming closer.

"Good, good...great! Good to see all of you, thank you for being here..."

Soon, the man whose voice I'm hearing comes into view. Within a few seconds, he's right in front of us. He shakes Daniel's hand, and then mine.

"Welcome to the Nokia theatre!" He says. "I'm Kenny Ortega."

Before we can say anything, he quickly walks back in the direction that he came from.

"I guess he's like the show director," Daniel said.

"Yeah, probably. But wait, if he just came to greet all of us, doesn't that mean we'll be going in soon?" I ask, my eyes wide with expectation. 

Just as I finish my sentence, I can hear Kenny shout from far ahead.

"This Is It!"

Everyone cheers, and the line begins to move forward. We're going inside the theatre. Daniel smiles at me.

"He's right...This Is It." He says grinning.

I take a deep breath, and begin to walk forward. Adrenaline pulses through my body with every step. I pull out my phone as I'm walking to check the time. 11:02am. My stomach jumps. Less than half an hour until the audition. It takes us about 4 more minutes to get to the entrance of the theatre. I stand in front of the glass doors, motionless. Daniel looks back at me.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

I stare at the doors for a moment more to appreciate this moment. I look at Daniel.

"Better than ever!" I reply grinning.

I feel like nothing can hold me back...I am minutes away from achieving a dream of mine, minutes away from seeing my idol. I step inside of the theatre. It is magnificent. The ceilings are incredibly high, and there are doors everywhere leading to separate rooms. A large hallway is in front of us. The huge line of dancers slowly files into one room, lead by Kenny. Daniel and I follow them in.

When we enter the room, I am immediately taken aback. This is the biggest dance studio I've ever seen. The room is massive, with dance mirrors on every wall and smooth wooden flooring. Chairs line one wall, and almost all of them are already filled. The room is alive with energy, and music. People are singing, humming, snapping their fingers. All of the voices in the room make one collective sound.

Many people are preparing to practice the audition routine one last time on the dance floor. Daniel turns to me.

"Hey, do you wanna go and practice with them?" He asks.

"Sure, why not? I guess it couldn't hurt!"