Remembering my childhood gets a little fuzzy as I get older. Luckily, my grandmother was very artsy and made me scrapbooks for each year of my life until my wedding. Every now and then, I go look to compare my children to what I was doing at their ages.
I think I started gymnastics when I was four years old. This was my life for about seven or eight years. I competed, loved every second of it, went to Europe when I was 11, and even got to celebrate my 12th birthday in France. We did exhibitions in several countries, stayed with host families, and tried so many new things. I feel like we were gone for an entire month, but it may have only been two to three weeks.
Towards the end of that summer, I am not sure what happened, but my love for gymnastics started to dwindle. I went into sixth grade, made new friends, and tried out for the dance team. I started dancing in sixth grade and didn’t stop until I graduated. I had dreams of being an LSU Golden Girl, but I never made it to the tryouts that day.
I remember dancing on the fields for halftime shows at football games, pep rallies, and basketball games. Competitions each year were amazing, especially when we would take home that first-place trophy. I felt alive during each performance. As I watch my daughter dance, I feel those same emotions. I get the butterflies in my stomach, I am on the edge of my seat waiting for her to hit the next part of each dance, cheering her on in the crowd. I always thought dance was a sport and never thought of it being performing arts. But, looking at it now from behind the scenes and from the audience, these girls and boys put on a show. Whether it is a theater performance, a ballet recital, or a dance competition, these children put on a show.
Whether your child is already involved with a performing arts school or looking for something new to try, we have a directory in this issue that is filled with businesses that educate students in music, dance, singing, and theater. Being a part of the arts is truly an experience your little ones will never forget. Even if my memories from childhood get a little fuzzy, how I felt while performing, the friendships I made, and the experience as a whole are things I’ll always remember in vivid detail.
