The Dancing Woman (Results Day) Aug 2013

The Dancing Woman (Results day) By Victoriadeyemi

The Fifth sketch in the Black Sketchbook was inspired by results day. I was frightened I think I nearly had a heart attack when I found out that I didn’t make the A* AA grade required by my first choice university. I was not shocked or upset because I saw this coming; there was no way that my French exam was an A. And halfway through the exam period, I changed my mind about my first choice university; it no longer appealed to me. I think was more distraught by the ‘what now?’ question staring intently into my eyes and breathing on my face. It was suffocating. For once I did not have a plan, I was going to end up wherever the wind took me and that freaked me out. I knew only 3 things in that moment, “I do not want to go to a University in London”, “I want to go to a university that has a study abroad programme” and “Law is the only course that could ever make me happy”.

I was fortunate and everything worked out in my favour on the same day. I could breathe and my breath in that moment felt like a dance. The Dancing Woman is one of my favourite pieces because she is the embodiment of how I felt throughout the latter part of result’s day. Everything, from the movement of her legs down to the flounce of her dress accurately portrays the lightness I felt in that moment. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, it was surreal. I remember thinking “getting something that you desperately want has the strangest effect”. Every time I look at her, I remember that slow motion feeling to the point where she almost looks like she is dancing in slow motion. I think it would have been brilliant if I had sketched something when I found out that I did not make the required grades, that way I would have a perfect record of the whole day.

 To anyone who recently obtained their A Level results, if things did not go as planned don’t fret. Sometimes not having a plan works out better.