Kids' Activities - Let Them Try (3)

(Continued from February 19, 2011) ..... In early September, our 3-year-old daughter began dance class and, at the end of the first three-hour rehearsal, the teacher approached us and she told us that she had never seen a three-year-old who had been able to focus on the various dance steps for three entire hours.

After the third week of dance class, the lead teacher and her assistant approached us to tell us that our daughter appeared to be gifted in the area of dance as she had a natural ability to quickly pick up steps and master them before some of the older children were able to do so.

To say the least, our daughter was overjoyed that she was able to take dance classes, that she was being successful at dance, and that she would be able to wear many colorful costumes in the recital that was still almost 9 months away.

From the days of her first dance classes at three years old all the way through her first two years of college, our daughter continued to take dance classes. In addition, she had also become a dance teacher at the ripe old age of twelve!

Without question, at least in this dad’s mind, our daughter was made to dance!

So, what happened in the future from that first recital? Well, our daughter continued to take dance lessons, later augmented by singing and acting lessons, so that she would be able to further her dream of being on stage. She danced many solos (as well as with ensembles), she acted, she sang, and found multiple excuses to get on stage to perform!

She later entered many competitions, capturing first place in a 3-state competition and then finishing in the top ten in a national competition in New York City! Yes, our daughter had taken her love of dance from that first recital and was now a winner on the national stage!

During her second year of college, we encouraged her to audition for some big shows that would feature her dancing, singing, and acting. She was a tad reluctant at first, as she was not sure how she would match up against some of the top performers in the land.

Well, she finally made arrangements for an audition with a national show. She and I drove to the town the night before, got a good night’s sleep, and ventured to the audition where we waited …. and waited, .. and waited in a room with about 50 other hopefuls.

FINALLY – the director called her name along with the names of about 20 of the others. They headed off to a rehearsal room – I was not allowed to go down the hall! I had to wait alone!


Well, did she get the job? Please come back next week to find out!


Paul W. Reeves