At age three, I'm not really sure what I was doing to foster my experiences in the arts. It probably amounted to culinary arts consisting of mud pie creations, such as evergreen/rock stew with a mud sludge base. Perhaps I was doing the Hokey Pokey or Disco Duck out in my yard? Not really sure, but I do know that I was never very interested in dance or gymnastics. Primarily because I knew that dancing was equivalent to "performing", meaning that at sometime or other, I would have to get up in front of people and prance around in some silly way...that seemed ridiculous to me.
Shyness and lack of confidence kept me from doing a lot of things---piano lessons for instance. But, I was a twirler in 1st grade. Does that count for girlie ambition? I think the enthusiasm ended after the first parade, when I dropped my baton several times in a University Homecoming parade (and, oh yes....my little skirt came unbuttoned and fell off on the main street ). That ended my girlie performer days!
So, what is my 3 year-old doing? Just exactly what I never had the interest (or courage) to do....she is taking dance classes :) And, not just any dance, she has the opportunity to take dance from a Chinese native, who was a professional dancer in Beijing and traveled throughout China (and now the US) performing traditional Chinese dance. Ms. Lily Zhang is her teacher and is a joy to watch and be around! She teaches them poise, respect, courage and self-confidence...and in between dance poses, shares with them the tidbits of their heritage. Mandarin phrases and Chinese culture are sprinkled in with her "Chinese instructor" personality. She is full of hugs and love for the girls, but also is stern and no-nonsense (love that), encouraging discipline and proper technique.
Well, Lydia was not that eager on her first day. I gushed about her little dance clothes and hairstyle for days, but because Grandma had to take her, she was hesitant that this adventure would be fun. Grandma's report: emotions were high...hair had been curled, tights and little twirly skirt were donned; but things went sour when another little girl began to cry and Lydia realized that this activity was questionable. She cried the rest of the session.
Week 2 & 3, Ms. Lily was so gracious to let me come into the studio and act as Lydia's shadow, helping her do the little moves. She is the youngest in the class, and so I am the puppeteer and Lydia is the little marionette puppet, as I twist her little arms and body this way and that. I think we are Ms. Lily's comic relief for the day:) She sits in the front, giggling and says, "ah girls, look at mama, she has good form! Look at her..back straight head up!" she commands them. They all look back at me and sit up an extra 2 inches, chin tilted more up to the ceiling. I sit back there feeling like a student as well, trying to look as poised and dancer-like as possible!
So, we'll see what happens for the first performance at the Nelson-Atkins Chinese New Year celebration next month. Lydia is going to freak out for sure, but the performance will be superb! A troupe of little Chinese girls dancing together brings joy to my heart and I'm so thrilled that Lydia can be a part of it. We even met a girlie in her class that is from her orphanage in Fuling :)
Now, I will need to make SURE that her costume is duct-taped on during the performance, to avoid potential humiliation and long-term scarring, of course, if her skirt happens to feel like detaching! Performance must be positive and fun :))
superb room---so big that 12 of us could have stayed in there! However, I'm sure my sister and her family were just as content to have us down the hall :)
The kids relaxing in bed, waiting for Santa.
degrees outside, so we snuck out to the hot tub :)
degrees outside, so we snuck out to the hot tub :)
