The first day of lessons was filled with tapping my foot, and looking at my shoes to understand where my taps were and what noises they made. I began learning a sing and dance number the second Saturday of classes called “No Can Do.” The second month of classes introduced a pleasant surprise, my cousin was joining my class and we were going to do a duet. A week later another girl joined and the three of us learned our first group dance. It was Pinocchio’s “ I Have No Strings.” We worked and worked on that dance. My laundry room at home turned into my own auditorium, filled with people just

Early that Saturday morning in August 2002, I got ready for the first of many lasts. This would be my first dance class of my last year of dancing. I was nervous and excited. I had ordered many new leotards from a “special” dance catalog. I had spent all summer listening to music, choreographing, and buying stickers to give to my students. I never knew how hard teaching little kids was! And I must admit, getting up at 5:30 every Saturday morning to drive to the studio after a late night at a football or basketball game or hanging out with my friends, wasn’t exactly my idea of fun. And after 8 hours of being in high heel tap shoes, dancing, and dealing with little kids I wasn’t up for much socializing Saturday night either. It was good money though, and seeing the look on the little girls faces when they finally learned how to get that shuffle ball change step, and hearing stories about how they used their laundry room for practice made it all worth it.

In June of the next year, and after I turned a big 5 years old, it was time for my first ever recital. The week before was filled with rehearsals and pretty costumes and debates on how we were all going to wear our hair. Finally Friday night came. The recital was in a huge high school auditorium and it seemed like there were thousands in the audience (I would later attend this high school) Everyone was there: my grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents. I even got to wear makeup on stage! I waited backstage with my two dance partners until it was our turn. Finally the moment came and we ran on stage to start our number. We did great at first. I was in the center, the other two girls were on my side. I danced and they watched my feet and tried to keep up. About half way through though I blanked. After months of learning and singing the same dance and song, I blanked. I stopped and stood there. Therefore my partners stopped and stood there. I looked off to the side to my teacher hoping she would offer some assistance. She tried to show me, but I guess I just didn’t understand. The three of us stood on stage for the next minute or so trying to rack our brains for the next step. The music ended, and we bowed, and ran off stage while the audience laughed and got the biggest kick out of us than any other act the whole night. We got the usual parental talks backstage, “Oh you kids were great, you did a fantastic job.” I knew better, but was only five, five year olds have a tendency to forget stuff easily.

When I was eight I got to be in my first ever huge group number. This was a big deal because I was by far the

Some topics in this essay:
Little Girls”, Shoe Store, Dancing Queen, Terre Haute, school auditorium, tap shoes, dance team, grandparents cousins aunts, dance teacher, cousins aunts uncles, act recitals, aunts uncles, cousins aunts, morning august, stopped stood, little kids,