Stage Center

I haven't been able to get off the merry go round just yet.  In the past week, we had something "extra" every single day.  There were soccer practice nights, a day with a double header game, Halloween, a night at Rubliee's to have dinner with visiting family from Washington . . . Just crazy busy.  As much fun as it is to let Jack turn my kid into a zombie, the highlights of the week were the soccer game and the 2nd grade musical.

Friday I slipped out of class, leaving my charges with another teacher, and joined Jack and Rubliee to watch Bella in the musical about classic rock.  She was a fifties girl with her rolled up jeans and bobby socks, canvas sneakers, white button down shirt with rolled up sleeves, and a scarf in her hair.  She was in the center of the risers, second row - just where we could see her boppin' and swaying with the tunes.

The first day of music practice, Bella came home in a dither because she had a speaking part in the Elton Parsely show.  Me: Elton Parsely?  Bella: Yeah, you know he had a song about shoes made of blue thick leather.  Me:  oooohhh.  Blue Suede Shoes, possibly?  Bella:  yup.

Bell got to be a crazy daisy for the song Tutti Fruit  and then introduced a Surfin' USA.  When it was her turn to be in front of the mic, she just hopped up and belted out her lines, dancing and singing with a grin.  It was so much fun to watch her and all the other itty bitty rockers.  Her school is blessed to have an amazing music teacher.

The whole thing was just joy - I see so much of us in Bella.  She can be a hellion, but she also loves an audience.  It never occurred to her be nervous or to have stage fright.  There was no hesitancy, no pause.  Just performance.  This is my child.  I know most of you don't see this part of me since I didn't do theater, but when I started college, I really wanted to be a professional speech maker.

Watching these kids on stage made me wonder when people began to get stage fright.  Only one of these little kids seemed upset, though a few seemed shy.  It was such a departure from a performance I witnessed in my AP class that morning.  My AP kids are in groups and each group will be teaching a Romantic poet and analysis of three of that poet's works.  The first group went Friday and one boy was just miserable.  It was the whole shaky voice, no eye contact, repeating what had already been said, stumbling over words fiasco.  The rest of group was calm and professional.  I felt sorry for him, though I was fairly sure some of his trouble was a lack of preparedness.

But when we do we learn to fear performing? When does an audience become the enemy instead of a gift letting us shine?  I require my kids to get up and do something, even if it is just explain a sentence, several times a year and it is just terror for many.

I hope my kid never loses the magic dust that let's speaking and holding court for a few moments be fun, a high all of its own.  It is a gift, but it is also a craft to be honed.

Today the merry go round is still in full swing.  We should be out the door to church, but are sneaking away for a surprise trip to Tiger Safari.  Bell missed her field trip there last year thanks to a stomach bug and has been begging to go for a year.  We have told her we are going shoe shopping.  I think this will be a pleasant surprise.  I hope all of your personal merry go rounds have some sweet pauses this week and if you have a chance to shine, you do so spectacularly.