KC enrolls in dance lessons

My art loving youngest son has officially begun a new journey. Dance classes. He dances at our house all the time. If he is not drawing or singing, he is dancing.

Understand that I come from a family of dancers. I danced from the time I was 5 myself. I had no choice. I was pretty good but not passionate about it like my mom and my aunt. They had visions for a future for me with dance as the focus. I didn't. I am forever grateful to the dance experience. I just didn't envison dance as my life. It gave me great physical flexibility and the ability to walk on my ankles without injury, when I trip. All those years of dancing did NOT make me less of a klutz!

My mom noticed that KC all ready has figured out the tap step shuffle ball change and does it correctly. I didn't teach him. Truthfully no one did. I didn't teach him the hip hop gyrations and early B boy spins he does in the kitchen either. It is just how KC is.

So I figured it was time to enroll in dance classes. Get some basics down, see where he wants to go with this and how far. I saw an ad for a school not far from our house and we went over to the open house after I got out of work. The actual dance space is lovely. Nice wood floor, great barre area, beautiful full length mirrors. (which all 3 of my children made monkey faces in while I talked with the dance teacher!) Then KC amused himself dancing all around the room.

I was actually pleased with a number of things about the school. It didn't combine gymnastics and dance classes. In my mind they have the ability to complement one another but they are separate disciplines and should not comingle in classes. No offense, but I don't think gymnastic teachers are great dance teachers and vice versa. What can I say, I am old school. And obviously a lot more steeped in dance culture still than I realized. LOL I liked the floor and practice space. And I liked the fact that 5 year old students can ONLY study ballet and tap. No jazz, no hip hop. Many schools in an effort to draw young students don't do that. Ballet (and this was NOT my favorite form of dance to study) is fundamental to good all around dancing.) But more schools seem to turn out little kids who look like future music video dancers (which in some cases is almost like saying porn stars) so the fact that KC could only study this combo is something unusual in our area. The teacher recommends only Capezio shoes. I always danced in Capezios. They used to be the best; don't know if they still are, but it was that old familiar feeling. However, I was brought up short by the fact that the dance teacher has got to be a 3X. No offense to the large beautiful women of the world but it is hard to picture this woman teaching dance! Yup, still steeped in dance culture. There is HUGE body image stuff associated with the dance world. Clearly I got a larger dose of it than I realized. But she seems to know her stuff and if she is large, well hey, my kid is 5 we are not talking about an affiliation with the Big City Ballet! Or a scholarship to Alvin Ailey or something.

KC was cool with tap. But when he heard ballet he literally stopped short. I explained it is a combo class-- 1/2 ballet time 1/2 tap time. He said that didn't sound very good. I asked why. He said he was NOT going to wear a tutu! LOL I said I didn't think he had to worry about that but that he could ask the teacher himself if he didn't believe me. He marched right up and asked her and was very happy to learn that no tutus were in his future. The teacher commented on how self assured he is. I said we we were also homeschoolers and she said we were sure taking care of the great socialization issue! That was twice this week I got kudos on my kids. Gotta remember that for the next time things spiral into a pit!

Anyway, once KC was sure he wasn't wearing the dreaded tutu he couldn't wait to sign up. So at the end of September a new star will be born in our New England city. KC will hit the stage!