Suddenly, the main overhead lights are extinguished and the room would be cast into complete darkness, if not for indirect lighting on the walls.  A hush falls across the audience as they turn their full and undivided attention to the stage.  Slowly the curtain is opened, revealing a red cloth backdrop decorated simply but effectively.

No, I am not watching the Broadway production of Les Miserables.  Nor am I watching the newly released Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones (as much as I wish I was).  In actuality, I am watching something *way* cooler than Star Wars (if that's possible) - I am attending my daughter's dance performance - the 2nd Annual Arkansas Talent Academy Spring Recital.  Sure, the cast may not be characterized by such glamorous names as Julia Roberts, or Harrison Ford, or even Angelina Jolie.  Nor are the dancers as talented as Riverdancers.  But given the fact that many (including my daughter) have only been taking dance classes for a few years, they all deserve the recognition given to these pop culture icons. 

The first group of girls performing are the Tinys.  They are named such because, well....they are pretty tiny.  They may be tiny, but they are cute as buttons.  [Whoever came up with that phrase anyway?  Since when are buttons cute?  Must be a Woman Thing(TM).]  At first glance, it looks like a bunch of pre-K and kindergarten girls dancing to their own beat, doing some dance resembling the macarena.  But on closer inspection, you can see the cutiepies all doing more or less the same moves at more or less the same time.  From memory.  No, you don't see the dance teacher standing in front of the stage showing them the moves they should be doing.  They are all doing them completely on their own without a conductor.  Quite impressive.  :)  And of course they elicit the most Oooooo's, ahhhhh's, and awwwwww's than any other age group.  Lacking in syncronization and rhythm, they make up in cuteness and effort by the boatload. 

Outside of the parents of these kids enrolled in the Arkansas Talent Academy, no one knows about this performance tonight.  No press, no talent scouts, no bigwig recruiter from the Julliard School of Dance are located even remotely close to this small, elementary school multipurpose room.  A huge, earth-shattering Hollywood production this is not, but don't tell that to the kids.  As far as they are concerned, this is the High Life, the Big Time under the Big Lights.  This is the culmination of weekly practices for the past eight months, and Tonight, they **are** Stars. 

The audience is typical of any audience watching their own kids perform in an amateur performance.  The next time you are at one of these functions, look around.  You'll see all the dads (with a few moms thrown in because dad is off somewhere else with other obligations) with various degrees of videocam technology scattered throughout the room.  You'll find digital cameras, brand-new digital camcorders, tripods, old camcorders that look like huge shoulder-mounted VCRs, and battery chargers dispersed throughout the room.  Some dads will be up at the front of the audience, hoping to get footage without audience members' heads lining the bottom.  Others have taken up position in the back of the room, standing on tables/chairs/whathaveyou trying to get the best shot without blocking someone's view.  Even me...as much as I *dislike* videotaping and taking pictures (must be due to being traumatized by a camera-happy dad during my childhood), I'm there in the mix, recording and recording and recording for posterity's sake.  [Who is Mr. Posterity anyway & what does his sake have to do with any of this?]  Actually, I don't mind taking pictures or videocaming (not usually) - what I dislike intensely is the copying/transfering/editing/micromanaging/where's-the-last-tape-we-did of home movies.  Ugh.  Even though I know it's good, wonderful, you're-going-to-regret-not-doing-it-if-you-don't-do-it, I still don't have to like it.  <whine>

In addition to the Videocam Dads, you'll see the Older Sibling(s) who have the bored, I'd-rather-be-anywhere-but-here-I-can't-believe-they-dragged-me-here look.  Don't confuse them with the Ritalin Misdiagnosed ADHD Kids who have been overdrugged for most of the day and are only now starting to come off of the effects of the unnecessary drugs.  In either case, these kids are not the least bit interested in what is going on on the stage, and can usually be seen in a semi-comatose state looking quite smug.

You'll also hear (rather than see) people in our second to last category of Typical-People-Found-at-School-aged-Children-Productions - the Overly Enthused Parent.  Just listen.  You'll hear him or her at some point through the production.  There's at least one in every crowd.  Shhh....be quiet now.  Any minute now.  As their kid enters the stage or exits, they'll be the ones yelling out in a loud, obnoxious voice, "Hi so-and-so!!" and waving frantically (as if their kids can see them through the blindingly bright spotlights shining on the stage).  I guess that's why they have to yell loudly - to at least get their child to look in the correct general direction. 

And finally, there is the category that I fall in - the Parent Only Interested in the Show When Their Child Is On Stage.  Yes, I admit that I really don't care a whole lot when kids I don't know are up there performing.  I'll videotape 'em for my daughter's benefit (after all, some of them are her friends), and I'll clap & cheer as much as the next parent.  But deep down inside, does it do anything for me?  That would be a Not so much.

So after the Tinys perform to Raining Cats & Dogs, my daughter is up!  Yay!  Dad springs into Complete Undivided Attention Cheer-on Daughter mode.  Videocam ready?  Check.  Daughter present?  Check.  Here we go...and I must admit, she doesn't look half bad.  Or does she look half good?  Or is the glass half empty or half full or half good?  Anyway, she definitely looks like Someone Who Knows What She Is Doing.  I guess all that annoying, irritating dancing I keep getting after her for doing around the house has finally Paid Off.  :)  After watching the oldest girls perform, who are the most talented of the bunch, I can definitely see that Ariel is well on her way to being just that good.  Her timing isn't perfect, and some of her moves still need some work, but at least she looks Good dancing up on the stage.  :)  Way to go honey! 

After several more dance performances by the various age groups, Ariel comes out with the Juniors and the Junior Varsity girls to do their last set - dancing to the song, "Leader of the Pack."  Dressed up in poodle-skirts and 50s get-up, they look extremely sassy.  What makes this dance number the hit of the night is the fact that when you hear the motorcycle revving in the song, the dance teacher's 4-yr old son comes riding out decked out in leather, sunglasses, on his battery-powered motorcycle.  Man...what a lucky kid.  What guy wouldn't *love* to have loads of women swooning over him for simply being "cool"?

The performance gets wrapped up with a solo dance performed by the dance teacher's daughter who has been dancing ever since she could walk.  And wow.  She is simply magnificent, graceful, and elegant.  What a great inspiration for the other girls to see what they could be One Day.

You know, my daughter may not have the grace of Ginger Rogers yet, nor the talent of the Moscow Ballet yet, nor the fame of Barishnikov yet, but in my eyes, she is every bit the star they are.  :) 

Ariel, I'm very proud of you for all the hard work you've put into dancing sweetie - you were fantastic!  Keep it up!

FYI, I'll be taking a short break from my journal for a couple of days to head off into the wilderness with Those I Love and Live With (in other words, we're going camping & canoeing).  So be sure and check back Sunday night for my next entry.  

Also, if you didn't notice, I added a link to my Writing Portfolio on my main page.  I will be adding my previous written work on there bit by bit so keep checking there for future updates.  For starters, I have included one paper I wrote for my Parageography class back in college.  Enjoy!  Feel free to read that in place of a Regular Scheduled journal Entry.  :)

Have a great weekend all y'all, I know we will!

P.S.  Be sure & wish Ariel a happy birthday as she will be turning 9 yrs old on Saturday!!  :)