Competition Smile

[Sorry, just had to do that with the picture. Sort of a Picasa imperative]
Don't know if I've explained this, but Maddie's school has half an hour in the schedule called intervention/enrichment. When you need to catch up or catch on to something in a class, you attend during this half hour. If you're up on everything, you get to choose from the mini-classes offered like Suicidal Poetry, The Graphic Novel, and Ballroom.
As soon as she got herself situated, Maddie became a fixture of the ballroom class. This semester, she and her papa talked the school counselor into homeschooling German and art at BYU and taking ballroom with her friends instead. Now she talks of ballroom, she rejoices in ballroom, she preaches of ballroom, she obsesses over ballroom, and she actually practices her ballroom without being nagged or even reminded.
Last week she told us that she had a competition on Saturday. I couldn't quite grasp the magnitude of the situation since she'd only had five classes. We found her outfit at the D.I. and Rob took time off of his demanding Sundancing to take her and watch her dance the cha cha. There were dozens and dozens of couples all dancing in heats. There were boys wearing makeup and girls with rhinestones in the part of their hair (I know this may be old hat to you, but the last time I saw this world was in Strictly Ballroom). She and her partner (and her BFF & partner, which is nearly as important) kept making the cut. They went all the way to the finals and got ribbons!
Sigh. It was enough of an adjustment to see my 12-year-old traipsing up onto campus with the college kids. Now it looks like there may be rhinestones in the future! Rob reminded me that it's great to live in a place where there are so many nice boys who want to learn social dance. Also true.
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Comments

ashley said…
"Pam Short 'as broke both her legs and I wanna dance with you!"

Yea Maddie! I've always wanted to take a ballroom dancing class...it will happen someday!
Jessica said…
I loved ballroom dancing when I was that age. Unfortunately, the only guys I could find to dance with me were my brothers.
Zina said…
Go Maddie! That is fabulous.

Our schools call Intervention/Enrichment "Flex time" and it does seem to be a great program (although Mabel's disgusted with Rose that Rose always chooses to watch movies during Flex--poor Rose, it's hard to go through life with a big sister like Mabel breathing down your neck).

I briefly dated a guy in high school who was determined that he and his sister were going to bring back ballroom, and he tried to teach me a few things and was very picky about getting each move just right, and it really wasn't much fun. Then in college the BYU Bookstore sent me over to cashier for a shoe vendor at a ballroom conference (they have to make sure sales tax gets collected) and the vendor wore a ducktail and always talked about how much better the old days were, and women would come in and try on shoes and bend waaaay over in their very short skirts--and all this prepared me very well to laugh until I cried when I saw Strictly Ballroom a few years later. (I do love that movie. I need to show it to my kids.)

I'm glad Maddie's having a much more positive introduction to the art. :)

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