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DWTS LIVE: A Night to Remember - Charleston, WV - Tour Experience

Hello! I figured that it would be fitting for my first post to be about my tour experience, so I’m gonna try my best to explain it all from start to finish! I have never been to an event like this, & I was nervous beyond belief for it, but I hope my experience encourages others who are worried that their anxiety will be their worst enemy that night to take that step & have a blast!

MEET & GREET:

The doors opened at 4:30, but the photo op didn’t begin until 5:30, so I was sitting there shaking in my boots for an hour. I kept looking down at my lanyard, still unable to process that it was real; it was REALLY happening! I’ll skip the boring stuff, like being so nervous the night before that I wanted to throw up, the frustration of finding the venue, & what a struggle it was to find parking. I’ll get straight to the part where I was at the venue & in my seat at the mingle. About 5 minutes before the pros + Milo came out, they began calling group numbers to line up for the photo op. I was one of the first to stand because I was in group 1, which was both exciting & nerve-wracking. I kept saying a silent prayer that Witney would be in my photo op, but I didn’t have much hope because she tweeted me the same morning saying that she wasn’t scheduled for it that day. Even though she told me that she’d see what she could do, I had a feeling the odds were slim to none. Still, I appreciate her kindness & effort more than she will ever know. I feel guilty for even admitting this, but when the pros + Milo began walking toward the curtain, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I wanted to meet Witney so bad I couldn’t stand it, & I was crushed when I realized that I wouldn’t get to. At that moment, so many thoughts were running through my mind, & I didn’t know how to deal with not being able to meet my idol. Still, I took a deep breath & forced myself to shake it off for the moment & go in & enjoy meeting some pretty awesome pros & Milo! So that’s exactly what I did when it was my turn. It was so funny because Alan was standing at the curtain peeking his head out going “who’s neeeext?” to everyone. He was honestly SO adorable & set the mood for the entire thing. When it was my turn, I smiled at him as he opened the curtains for me. I hugged him first, which I don’t even think I had a choice because he acted like you had to get through him to get to everyone else, lol! After hugging him & saying my hello, I hugged Artem & Val. Now, I am in NO WAY trying to say that I don’t care for Val or Artem. They are two AMAZING pros & even sweeter people, but my brain could only think about getting to one thing: Milo. He happened to be at the end, so he was the last one that I hugged. Before I could hug him, he says “hi, I’m Milo!” & I just thought that was the cutest thing ever! When I hugged him, surprise really struck me. I honestly didn’t think he’d be as tall or as, er, built as he was. I was expecting to meet someone my height, but when I had to look up at him, to put it simply, I was what the cool kids call shook. I then stood next to him at the end because I wanted him to be next to me in my photo, but he said “no, you get the middle” so I went to the middle & asked if I could have Milo & Alan on either side. Milo goes, “yes! I was waiting for her to say Milo!” & Alan goes “wait, did you say Alan?” like he was so excited that someone wanted him in the middle. It was so precious! I don’t even think I responded, I just smiled because that’s all my mind would allow me to do, lol. He keeps going on & on during the photo about how I said Alan, & I just thought it was the most precious thing! Now, as for the pose, I had all intentions of getting a Witlo hug, but Witney not being in there really threw me off. Not only that, but I was so shocked to be in there with them that I couldn’t even remember to ask for the pose, so I just kept my arms around Alan & Milo. Alan looked at me after the first picture & goes “you get two pictures just because you said Alan” & I kept the same pose. I tried to lean into Milo, but Alan had his arm around me pulling be back toward him. I knew I loved him before, but he somehow made me love him even more in person. That goes for everyone, honestly! After the pictures were taken, I quickly wrapped Milo into another hug & told him how nice it was to meet him. He said the same, then I ACCIDENTALLY skipped over Val & Artem & hugged Alan. Now, in my defense, Alan is very clingy (in a good way) in the M&G, so that really messed with my head & made me go straight to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Artem throw his hands up as a joke, & I quickly went in to give him a hug. They were all amazing huggers, such sweet people, & it was SUCH a positive M&G experience! I have to add that VIP Nation was absolutely PHENOMENAL. It was so much more relaxed/ fun than I thought it would be, and part of that is because the staff were just so chill about everything as long as you followed the rules. I can’t thank them enough for helping to make my experience so great, because I am a person that normally gets too nervous to do that sort of thing. I am definitely NOT a good picture taker, so I didn’t have high hopes for a good photo op. However, these photos hold so many memories, & I can’t stop looking at them! I did warn people before I even saw them that my smile would be bigger than my face, but it definitely wasn’t fake & it makes me smile again just to see how genuinely happy I was. :’)

MINGLE:

The mingle was something that I stressed out about from the very beginning. I’m pretty introverted, and I was really nervous that people would be going crazy in the room trying to get to them first & I would begin to panic. I was beyond surprised & relieved that it was SO calm. The two pros went around to each & every person & took their time speaking to them & taking pictures. Emma & Brandon were in my mingle, & they were both so very sweet! Out of every pro I met, Emma was probably the easiest to talk to. She was so social & kind, & it felt like I had known her forever. She was even more beautiful in person & was just a pleasant treat for the mingle! Brandon was also SO awesome! I took a selfie & normal picture with him. He was so sweet, & I have to add that he smelled AMAZING!

PERFORMANCE:

The venue was a little odd to me, because after the M&G was over, we had to leave for about an hour because the doors didn’t open until 7. Like I said before, this was my first time doing this, but it doesn’t seem to make sense that you’d have to leave with VIP. I’m sure it’s not like that at all venues, but it worked out for me this time because there was a mall right across the street. I came back at 7 & went inside. I was SO surprised to see what an amazing seat I had! I knew it was going to be close to the stage, but I had no idea HOW close I was! I couldn’t have wished for a better view.

From the beginning of the performance to the end, I felt like I was in a different world. I knew it was going to be amazing, but I didn’t realize just how into it I would be. You can see the dedication & joy on stage, & it’s amazing to be able to witness such talent in person. I’m beyond grateful that I got to experience it for the first time, & seeing my favorite partnership (Milo & Witney) in person was beyond anything I could have ever wished for. It was definitely a must-see show!

BUSES:

When it was over, I felt guilty for feeling so down. I just had the time of my life in the M&G, mingle, & watching the show, but I came into the day wanting to meet Witney. I was fully convinced that it was over & I wouldn’t have a chance. It was pouring the rain, my head was pounding, & I just felt sick all around. Still, I went to the buses to stand in hopes that a miracle would happen. Security informed us that chose to stay that they were getting spray tans before leaving the venue, & the chances of them coming out to take pictures in the pouring rain AND with fresh spray tans were slim to none. No one at all was expected to come out. Even with that, I still stayed put. Something inside of me wasn’t letting me leave until I did everything I could possibly do. I had to try everything I could to meet Witney that night, or I’d never forgive myself. 45 minutes went by & the rain kept pouring down. Somehow, I felt more & more hopeless, but I couldn’t move from that spot. I heard people begin to say Witney’s name as she walked to the buses with her belongings, & my heart started beating out of my chest. I smiled seeing her, but my heart dropped because I just knew that she was going to get on the bus. I completely understood, because it was a VERY nasty night, but against all odds, she started at the beginning of the line & began talking to fans & taking pictures. The feeling I had in that moment was something that I’ll never be able to describe or forget. I couldn’t believe that in a few short minutes I was going to be meeting my idol for the first time. I began tearing up as I looked up at the sky, but somehow forced myself to keep it together so that I could talk to her & tell her what I wanted to. When she got to me, I thanked her for coming out first thing, & she said of course & thanked me for waiting. Her voice was so sincere, & she was an absolute sweetheart! I gave her a hug & told her that I talked to her earlier, & she goes “are you Heather?” It meant so much to me that she didn’t remember me by my username on Twitter, but by my actual name. I told her I was & she told me thanked me time & time again for the support. We took a picture & I told her I loved her, & she said she loved me back. All of the time in the world would never be enough to tell her what she means to me. After she moved to the next person, without even realizing it, I began to cry. I couldn’t believe that, against all odds that night, I had just met my idol. It was a moment of pure joy & relief that I will never forget as long as I live. I think everyone feels a little nervous meeting the person who they look up to & has helped them through so much because they feel like they may be different in person than what you imagine, but Witney was somehow more amazing & kind than I had dreamed. She was everything I ever want to support, & I am so glad that I have accounts dedicated to her. She truly deserves every bit of it.

Next, Sasha came out! He was so kind, kept calling everyone “love”, & when he walked away, he said to take care. He is just such a sweet person & deserves the world! He also gave amazing hugs!

Hayley & Britt were next! They were both TOTAL sweethearts! They truly made me smile with how kind they were. I hugged them both, & I asked Hayley to take a video saying hello to my friend, & she seemed so excited to do so! They were both gems!

Then Milo came bursting out of the buses! He went to the bus first after walking out of the venue for roughly half an hour, so no one expected him to come out, but he had other plans! What you see on screen is what you get with him. He is SO kind, loves to hug, and is just a pleasant person to be around. Like with everyone else, he didn’t disappoint. When he got to me, I of course wanted a hug & he said “I’m bringing it in, I’m bringing it in” and gave me the biggest hug! He even held the camera for me to take our selfie. He said “wait, let me do it. I have longer arms!” He was just so cuddly & sweet! I somehow adore him even more than I did before! I will never forget the pleasure of meeting that boy.

Emma was the next to last one to come out. As mentioned before, she was the easiest to talk to. She hugged me & after I took our photo, she told me that I smiled so bright & she loved it. Oddly, I haven’t stopped smiling since. :’)

Alan was the last one to come to the buses. He was an absolute delight to get to meet, & SOMEHOW even more attractive in person! He hugged me & we took a selfie, but he slipped the phone out of my hand & said “I got it, I got it” then sort of looked at me for a minute to make sure I wasn’t mad for taking it, haha! I find the picture I took with him SO FUNNY, because I clearly wasn’t ready for the pic, but it’s a very humorous memory to have!

Guys, I cannot put into words how much that night meant to me. I have never been so happy in my entire life, & I somehow only get happier through the days knowing that I met my idol + so many amazing people. If I could change one thing about that night, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t even put Witney in the M&G, because I will never forget the feeling or tears I cried of pure joy when I met her at the last minute. I will forever be grateful for that night, & in my 23 years of life, it is the best memory I have. I will always hold it near & dear to my heart.

Friends, I want to thank you again for being so supportive of me & hoping that I got to meet Witney. I kid you not when I say that I was absolutely shattered, because I wanted to meet her more than anything, & it was looking like it was right next to impossible that night. People still had hope even when I didn’t, & that means more to me than anyone will ever know. I can’t describe the feeling of having an overwhelming amount of support, but it is right next to meeting the person that gives me meaning & inspires me every single day. It truly was a night to remember. :’)

A message to you:

https://twitter.com/witneysdisney/status/1078510264763514882

#dancing with the stars #dwts #dwts live tour #a night to remember tour #witney carson #emma slater #alan bersten #artem chigvintsev #val chmerkovskiy #britt stewart #sasha farber #jenna johnson #gleb savchenko #hayley erbert #milo manheim #witlo #brandon armstrong