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Toe, step, shuffle-step
Mar. 15th, 2003 01:56 pmSo Abbey's dance class is rehearsing in earnest for the spring recital, which, unlike the annual Nutcracker, will be a tap show, instead of ballet. Actually, the tap lessons are a lot like the ballet lessons, only louder. The routine they're doing is a full-length one this time out, set to a recording of a song called "Broadway Baby," performed by one of those hypermotivated twelve-year-olds in the Youth Vocal category on Star Search. You know, the ones who are making a career out of shameless pandering, and demonstrating that they can actually pull off a tremolo to cover up the fact that they're out of tune. The ones who will either burn out by age 19, turn into Britney Spears, or both.
Anyway, they're doing this rather long routine, not difficult, but with a lot to remember. And honestly, they're not doing badly at all. The problem, though, is that the central focus of tap is rhythm, which your average 5-to-6-year-old lacks (to any exactingly precise level, anyway). So here they are, doing their steps almost in unison, but every single misstep is resoundingly obvious, so even though they're doing very, very well, it sounds like someone throwing a handful of half-inch ball bearings down a flight of marble stairs. And if one girl goes seriously off book, it takes them all down. There's one part with a little shuffle step across the floor, and all you can hear is the teacher dancing in perfect time (TAP ta-TAP, TAP ta-TAP), with a continuous salvo of random tapping from everyone else in the background (tiki-tikikiTAPataTAPTAP-i-tikiTAPa...). It's like they've been asked to balance a glass of Beaujolais on their heads and cross a white plush carpet: yes, they may get there with an astounding percentage of wine still in the glass, but let's look and see where the mistakes were, shall we?
Still, the kids don't get discouraged, and Abbey's having fun, and the people who go to the show will think they're utterly adorable, and as I said, they're doing very well. The sad part is, I already know that as soon as the recital's over, Abbey will say, "Mom? Dad? Can I take swimming lessons again?"
Six hours 'til Ani. Whee!
Anyway, they're doing this rather long routine, not difficult, but with a lot to remember. And honestly, they're not doing badly at all. The problem, though, is that the central focus of tap is rhythm, which your average 5-to-6-year-old lacks (to any exactingly precise level, anyway). So here they are, doing their steps almost in unison, but every single misstep is resoundingly obvious, so even though they're doing very, very well, it sounds like someone throwing a handful of half-inch ball bearings down a flight of marble stairs. And if one girl goes seriously off book, it takes them all down. There's one part with a little shuffle step across the floor, and all you can hear is the teacher dancing in perfect time (TAP ta-TAP, TAP ta-TAP), with a continuous salvo of random tapping from everyone else in the background (tiki-tikikiTAPataTAPTAP-i-tikiTAPa...). It's like they've been asked to balance a glass of Beaujolais on their heads and cross a white plush carpet: yes, they may get there with an astounding percentage of wine still in the glass, but let's look and see where the mistakes were, shall we?
Still, the kids don't get discouraged, and Abbey's having fun, and the people who go to the show will think they're utterly adorable, and as I said, they're doing very well. The sad part is, I already know that as soon as the recital's over, Abbey will say, "Mom? Dad? Can I take swimming lessons again?"
Six hours 'til Ani. Whee!
