FREE AND ENTERTAINING!!!

Howdy, Blogging Buddies! Welcome back!

Alright. There was a list of things I mentioned I would be posting about but I have to tell you about the free and entertaining evening I spent this past Saturday.

There is a place of business here called Dance Stop Dance Centre. It occupies the old City Savings Bank building which is a big ol' red brick 2-story structure on the corner of Washington Avenue and West 1st Street. I honestly don't know how long Dance Stop has been there (and their web site is apparently under construction so there is no help forthcoming from cyberspace!) but trust me when I say it's been a while.

So, one of my high school-era pals has a teenaged daughter participating in dance at Dance Stop. She indicated an upcoming recital and invited those of us who were interested to attend. Well... of COURSE I would attend! I can't remember the last time I attended a dance recital... if ever... not even one of my own. Another high school bud invited me to ride along with her so at 5:35 p.m. sharp on Saturday, I entered her vehicle and off we went... for the 5-minute drive to the high school where the recital was taking place in the auditorium. No... the recital did not begin at 5:40 p.m. It actually was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Here is the deal on that.

Apparently, due to the overwhelming popularity of these things, seat-saving is a sport that is only valid until 5:45 p.m. After that, individuals caught attempting to save seats will be subjected to a 24-hour clogging session (one of the dance types taught). I'll tell you that even the "emcee" of the evening popped up and called any remaining open seats as "fair game" for anyone who was still seeking a seat. This is serious business, folks. This is clearly a democratic business that is only willing to provide preferential treatment for so long!! :)

Okay. So we sat around in those amazingly comfortable auditorium chairs (I may have discovered what to blame for the back issues I have encountered in my old age!) and chatted for a bit until the "emcee" returned to provide us with some additional information regarding the performance, etc. I was on pins and needles!! (Now that I think about it, that may be related to the circulation being cut off to my legs while in that amazingly comfortable auditorium chair.)

Before I provide specifics, let me just tell you there are four clogging groups at Dance Stop. They are the Dixie Darlin's, the Bayou Babes, the Kajun Kuties (I think I misspelled that right), and one more incredibly cutesy alliterative name that I can't remember. (I gave my program to my aunt who enjoyed reading through it and I did not remember to retrieve it. Sorry.) Anyway... the Dixie Darlin's and the Bayou Babes are the more advanced groups. Both have earned national recognition so we're not talkin' small potatoes here, folks.

Alright. You all know I was really waiting for those little tykes to show up. You know there will be something amusing when teeny little dancers in adorable costuming arrive onstage to perform. I was not disappointed. Oh my gosh! There were several little groups of teeny ones to amuse me throughout the evening. The following is only a miniscule desciption of events that took place during these teeny ones' performances.

"Lady Liberty" (a grown woman in Statue of Liberty garb) was on hand to make any adjustments or corrections necessary for the wee ones in the event (and there were a few events) someone didn't quite "hit the mark" onstage. She came out a few times to point out the correct spot for a given wee one to stand for the performance. The look on each tyke's face when "Lady Liberty" strode onstage was priceless. "Is it me?" "Who isn't where they should be?" "I am so embarrassed." You could hear the thoughts pouring from the meticulously groomed little heads!! But those who had erred were quick to be corrected and "get on with the show!"

One of my particular favorites was the little one who arrived with her group of about 7 or 8 dancers (and I use that term loosely in this age group). They couldn't have been more than about 4 years old. They were all outfitted in incredible sparkly costumes that were appropriate to the number they were to perform. Heck... it was fun just watching them come onstage! They rolled out, one at a time, skipping to the "mark" they were supposed to hit, then placed their hands on their knees and bounced their bottoms up and down (somewhat in time to the music) until the entire group was out. The music would then stop briefly and restart for the number to be performed. Anyway... this one particular little dancer was concerned that her group do well, apparently. She was alternately counting and describing the action to be taken. ("One, two, three, four, slap, slap.") This was amusing enough... but as she realized the music was loud, it obviously dawned on her that she would have to SHOUT to be heard by her fellow dancers!! Well, she got louder and louder... and louder... until she could be heard in the back row of this 1000-amazingly-comfortable-auditorium-chair-seat audience!! The second half of the number was totally lost on me as I doubled over, tears running down my cheeks, with laughter. It was worth the price of admission, I tell ya'!!

Okay. The entire recital went well. The numbers followed each other with military-drill precision (although it still took nearly two hours to get through them all!). There were no injuries or faux-pas that were obvious to the audience. My sincere kudos to the folks who made the costumes. There were a LOT of costumes (think about approximately 300 dancers all performing in at least ONE number and many performing in as many as 6 or 7 numbers!) and those who participated in making those costumes deserve much more than a simple line on the playbill. All-in-all, it was an entertaining evening with a couple of pals and enough humor to get me through!!

Oh... and my friend's daughter? She did a fabulous job in every number in which she participated. As I watched her perform, I realized she was truly enjoying herself up there and that was great to see. There were several who appeared to be there only because someone probably pushed them to do it (Mom? Dad? Stage Parents are not good!) but she appeared to be having the time of her life. That was indeed good to see and I congratulate her for a job well done.

Until the next post...