In My Daughters Eyes

I hung up my performing shoes when I started teaching dance. I figured I had my opportunity to enjoy performing, and now it was my turn to enjoy watching my students perform. The Junior High kids used to beg me to perform with them in the concerts. Naturally, I would decline. There is nothing worse than watching an OLD teacher shake their thang with their YOUNG students. I never wanted to be that teacher who wasn't so young anymore pretending to be, plus, I guarantee that the audience would be watching me not the students (morbid curiosity). The students deserve the attention, not me. For Shellies 40th anniversary of "Shellies School of Dance" she decided that she wanted to do a mother daughter dance to "In My Daughters Eyes" by Martina McBride. The mother daughter dance would include Shellie, her daughter (me), and my daughter (Adessa) as well as, all her teachers and their daughters. I think there are 22 of us in total in this years director's piece. My initial reaction was HECK NO! But for my mom, I would do anything, including wear tight coral pink velvet on stage in front of 1,000 + people. Lucky me. When I first heard the song I started bawling. I cried, sobbed, and sniffled through the entire thing. The song is beautiful, touching, inspiring. It has made me think about what my daughter will admire about me if anything at all, maybe she'll dye her hair black, pierce parts of her body, and hate me for making her wear bows when she was little, who knows. It did however, make me think about the kind of woman my mother is, and the kind of woman I want my Adessa to think I am. On Saturday we had our first rehearsal with the teachers where I taught them 32 counts of choreography for the piece. I was so comforted when half the teachers bawled through the dancing as well. The dance will be lovely, a once in a life time opportunity for myself and Adessa to have 3 maybe 4 generations on stage all together. The teachers at Shellie's aren't my co-workers, they are my friends, my family. I love and admire them, and mostly I love and admire Shellie herself. If you get a chance to listen to the song it is #1 on my playlist on the blog, I guarentee you will either think of yourself, your daughter, or your mother, and maybe you'll even think of me in tight coral velvet dancewear (sorry about that one). If you are a Shellie's alumni reading this, let me know and I will give Shellie your information so that she can send you an invite to the Alumni open house. Happy crying!