I was a terrible dancer. Well, not a terrible dancer, but I was a terrible participant in school dances. I was a wall flower, hanging out alone or with friends, hoping that somebody would come and ask me to dance. I always got at least one dance request at each dance, but because it wasn't a frequent occurrence, each of these dances seemed way more significant than they were in reality. I mean, seriously, why would a guy go to all the trouble of asking me to dance if he didn't really, really like me, right? I was one gigantic mess. The way I remember school dances, it seems as if almost everyone hung out around the sidelines most of the time. That's probably not totally accurate, but I know that the first time I ever went to a Mormon dance I was amazed at how many people danced all the time. It was so, so fun.
Fast forward several years. Now I have my own teenagers, and their experience with dances is so different from my own. They are able to go to dances almost every month once they turn 14, and we have one rule for the Blau children when it comes to these dances ... Blau Children Dance Every Dance. Okay, they can take a break every once in awhile, but for the most part we expect them to be out on the dance floor dancing. Why? Well, let's be honest, hanging out on the sidelines, waiting for someone else to come to you before you head out to dance ... it isn't all that fun. You put your enjoyment of the dance in the hands of everyone else, and too many of the rest of the people there are nervous enough about asking people to dance that they aren't likely to come to you as often as you would like. Why let others determine your happiness? When our kids are out dancing they are taking control. That is all fine and dandy when it is a fast song with a fun line dance or something, but what about the slow songs when you have to have a partner in order to keep dancing. These can be terribly awkward moments. As I supervise these dances it almost hurts my heart to see how excruciating these moments can be for lots of the youth. You can see their eyes sweeping over the dance floor to see if there is anyone available to dance with, but trying hard to not look like they are anxious as they look. Waiting for that brave guy or gal to come forward to ask for a dance can be so, so hard. So we've encouraged our kids to take the initiative and ask. The cool thing is that so many other youth in our stake are the same. They dance, and because of the great participation by almost everyone, these dances are super, super fun.
Well, last night was the Mormon prom for Laurels and Priests (16-18 year old women and men) in Columbia. This looks a little bit like any other prom, but there are some modesty standards for the dresses, something I totally appreciate. For an explanation of what exactly goes on at a "Mormon Prom" you can check out my post about the prom last year HERE. We took seven kids with us to Columbia for the prom, and it was way fun. I LOVE being able to go to these dances and watch my kids dance. They have so much fun, and I have fun watching them.
What I notice about my girls as they dance:
1. They look absolutely beautiful in formal dresses.
2. They have some super moves on the dance floor.
3. They have no problems approaching people they haven't met yet, and asking them to dance.
4. Both of the girls are excellent conversationalists while they are dancing. Lots of times when I walk around the dance floor during the slow dances I see several couples dancing, barely talking. But when I see my girls dancing they are always animated as they talk to their partners. They have big smiles and make lots of eye contact with the people they are talking to. They are so much better at this than I ever was, thank goodness.
5. They look totally sweet when dancing with their daddy.
It is such a treat to watch my beautiful, talented, and outgoing girls participate in these dances. This is one of the last that Laney and Savannah will be at together since Laney is headed to college in the fall. That makes me a little sad, but we still have years and years of Blau dancers in the wings to carry on the dancing tradition. So much fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment