Running Girl: Adventures in Tap Dancing
In an attempt to instill a love of music in my child, a saga was born.
Music and sports were, hands-down, the highlights of my days growing up. When life got tough, these extracurricular activities saved me. They kept me on my toes, gave me a goal to work toward, and kept me level-headed…mostly.
In High School, these activities consisted of Choir, Cross Country, and Track. I have an agreement with my husband that we will have each of our children try at least one sport and one musical instrument. They have their pick as to which activity they pursue and we will try to introduce a variety of opportunities early on so they can make decisions that match their interests and strengths. Now that our daughter is three, it seems time to begin that introductory process. We started with a sport that combines music, thanks to a Facebook ad and a link leading to a coupon for one free trial class: dance.
Ballet seemed a bit too slow starting and I know as a kid I preferred tap. Additionally, tap dancing allows kids to make fun, clickety-clacking noises as they move. I assumed she’d enjoy making the noises and therefore tap might be a better pick.
On Tuesday morning, we arrived at her very first tap dance class (a free trial to see if I should really drop my money on this dance summer class). I’ve never been much of a dancer myself, but I recognize she’s a different person with potentially different interests. If she loves it, I told myself, I will nurture it.
Mia arrived in good spirits, her hideously ugly stuffed hamster she found in the church basement in tow. After about a minute, I left the classroom. She hugged my leg, but let me go and remained fully engaged in the story the teacher read to the little class of dancing tykes.
As I watched from the viewing window, anticipating my sweet little darling beginning to learn the first steps to what might become her first dance routine and perhaps even a lasting passion, my face brightened with laughter as I realized my daughter has absolutely no interest in dancing the way she’s told to dance nor in remaining in her assigned spot.
As the other children tapped their shoes, she looked from side to side and decided to jump up and down, marching to the beat of her own drum as usual.
During the last five minutes, the parents returned to the room to watch what our little ballerinas had learned. The kids stood. Mia sat on her bottom. The music played. She hummed a tune of lovely fart noises for all to hear. I could feel the eyes of the parents looking at me, wondering why I would tolerate such odd behavior. I looked her in the eyes and whispered, “Just dance” to which she shook her head and began stretching like some sort of master yogi, practically standing on her head.
“Maybe you’re just not quite ready for this yet,” I said more to myself than to her as we got in the car. I started the engine to head to the gas station before our twenty-minute trip home. Above the roar of the engine, I heard my daughter’s loud, enthusiastic voice say, “Mommy! That was so much fun! Are we coming back tomorrow?”
I looked at her, grinning, and handed her the dum-dum a woman gave her at the front counter as a welcome gift, perhaps hoping the sugar would soften the blow as I told her, “No, honey. I don’t think so.” I mentally prepared myself for the protest that never came.
“Okay!” She replied, showing not the least bit of sorrow or disappointment in her demeanor.
“I wanna run with you, Mommy.”
That’s my girl.
Perhaps we’ll give tap another shot next year.
Writing Prompt: What sports or instruments did you play as a kid? How did you get introduced to these activities and what did you/do you love about them?