It has been 2 years now since we first explored the annual celebration that this community of dancers calls Maxt Out. We come back each year, constantly impressed by all of the marvelous talent each one of the individuals at this festival showcase. As we wander into the dawning of the event at dawn, we are greeted by friends that we have made in previous expeditions! It was rather nice seeing how everyone has changed, from hairstyles to physical physiques to life adventures! Once we went up to the leaders of this organization, they showed their excitement for having us there that they gave each of us lanyards with our names written on them, which was a really nice gesture. Once we spoke with the liaison of the event and were informed of our schedule for the day, we migrated over to a nearby clearing located next to a facility that the Iwotabi High School Swim Club would enjoy. We loosened up our muscles and went through some preliminary training as we prepared ourselves for our expedition for the day. Once conditioning was done, we wandered about the educational compound and wandered into a vacant classroom where we set up camp. We continued to make our preparations there, putting on our attire, applying necessary cosmetics to our faces, all the while sharing delicious nutrition to help prepare us for our moment in the spotlight. We were asked to congregate in the area that the people here called “the hole.” It was here that our photograph was taken before we were thrusted into the building and patiently waited in the wings for our time. It was really self-assuring that the song that played just before going on stage was “Find You”, and waves of euphoria from our Northern Wall Expedition filled us all with energy and positivity to give it our all! Cera wanted to be the first one on stage so we let her have her fun and do a headstand the entire performance, which she did really well! Just as quick as we could blink, it seemed as if the music had ended and all of us were exhausted. Recovering from our fatigue, we reconvened outside the venue and changed into more casual attire to enjoy the rest of our day.
To my surprise, many of our fellow corpsmen also participated in other squad performances at this event, and so we waiting amongst the crowd to show our support for them in everything! As our energy rations started depleting, we took this time to venture around the neighborhood to find food establishment to replenish our energy. By now, the sun was setting, and the closing ceremonies were underway. Waiting patiently for the results, the masterminds of each performance gathered on stage as we wait for the results to be given. The four people called “judges” gave our 4 outstanding certificates, of which we claimed the one for “Best Costume”; Ymir was ecstatic to see her vision be appreciated. But then, they were announcing the placing for the Major Chor division, and to our disbelief and astonishment, they called out The Survey Corps for the title of First Place! As the squadron rushed on stage, we all were in a mixed ball of emotions that just could not be contained and we were so proud of what we had accomplished. After some photographs to signal the end of our adventure and some words of encouragement from the leaders, we migrated over to HQ, where we celebrated into the late hours sharing our favorite moments of the day and relived past experiences. This was a very successful expedition and we cannot wait to see what is in store later!
