Daily Prompt: Let’s Dance

Krista on The Daily Prompt asks:  What are your earliest and fondest memories of dance?

So that got me all nostalgic again! So it was back to the old photos!

I don’t remember of ever really dreaming of being a ballerina; I just always loved to dance.  When I was three, my mother enrolled me in tap and ballet classes.  I don’t know how long I attended.  Not long enough.  It might have been because we moved.  Who knows.

I remember taking ballet classes again when I was around eight.  There were classes in the basement of the Marsh Hotel (click for earlier entry for story of the Marsh) where we lived in Van Wert, Ohio.

The next dance involvement I had was in high school.  When I was a junior (11th grade), a friend talked me into trying out for a girls’ marching drill team.  This was in Lexington, KY.  It was a high school program sponsored and operated by the County Recreation Department.  And was I happy when we made it!  We were the KY KADETTES.  I performed with them for two years.  My senior year, I was voted “Miss Congeniality” and appointed Captain.  I had two Lieutenants.  This was probably one of the best things I ever did as a kid!  I had more fun and it was good for me.  As the Captain, I was out front by myself, my costume colors were reversed from the others and, best of all, I was the one with the whistle!  When we were marching in parades, I would turn and march backwards, raise my baton and blow the whistle to signal the start of our routine.  I loved it.

The two snapshots below are the only pictures I have from those two years.  These costumes were obviously for  dance presentations rather than marching.  I can’t even remember exactly where we were performing for these. 

We did a lot of parades, a lot of half-time shows at basketball and football games.  Once we even did a performance at the Lexington Trots (horse surrey racing).  They said that ESPN was going to be filming and we might be shown on their show.  Well, I think we made the cutting room floor!  I never saw or heard about it being shown. 

I’ve lost touch with all my Kadette friends. I have no photos of any of our performances.  I really wish I did.  I tried to find some of the girls who were in the KY KADETTES with me but I’ve not had any luck in my search.  Oh, well.  It would be fun to connect up with them or find some pictures from then. 

After high school, I attended the University of Kentucky. One of the classes I signed up for was a modern dance class that our former coach/instructor from the KY Kadettes was teaching.  I also performed in a modern/jazz dance troupe that she choreographed.  I started out as a dance/physical education (P.E.) major.  After my first semester, I met with one of the college counselors about my major.  Darn if she didn’t convince me back then there was no future in P.E. unless I wanted to just teach. HAH.  Hindsight.  Good grief, who knows what I could have done with it!  Oh, well, guess it doesn’t really matter now!

 I got this great graphic from Donna who used to be on AOL Journals with me a number of years ago.

Well, you know what they say – DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING!!  That’s me!