School talent shows are nerve-wracking for the kids brave enough to stand on stage in front of their peers and school staffers who are staring at them. Will they rock it or will they falter?
Some kids never take the chance to sing, dance, juggle, or tell jokes during the school talent show because the thought of having all eyes trained upon them makes them nauseous. Ten-year-old Makayla Ferrell took the plunge and choose to sing Andra Day’s motivational song “Rise Up” at her school’s talent show.
This song has been claimed as an inspirational tune by many who are fighting battles. The song holds personal meaning to Makayla and her mom, because they had moved from their home state of Georgia across the country to Colorado and they had to make significant adjustments.
So not only did Makayla have to adapt to her new school and home, she had to summon the courage to sing before the whole school. She swayed back and forth after she began singing, the result of a combination of nerves and keeping time to the beat of the music.
Mom Rhonda Whitney was in the audience videotaping all of the kids. You can hear her faint voice and that she sounds great.
But not too far into the song, she throws her arms out to the side in frustration. The pianist continues playing, but poor Makayla turns and glances off stage, shrugging because she appears to have forgotten the words.
This is every performer’s fear — the singer who forgets the lyrics, a dancer who spaces off the next combination, or an actor who can’t remember the next line. Rhonda captured the next moment in Makayla’s performance that has people everywhere standing up and cheering.
Right after Makayla freezes in fear, all of a sudden we can hear a strong, mature voice booming from off stage. Makayla glances up quickly because she knows that voice.
It’s her mom!
Shaye Washington was not going to let her baby girl stand there in fear and falter. Shaye loud and proud belts out the lyrics “I’ll rise unafraid.”
Watch Shaye rescue Makayla from her moment of panic on stage in the awesome video below.