The Beat Goes On

Nina and Grace have started tap classes. I find I am very keen on tap. It's the first time any of them have done dance classes, apart from the ubiquitous 'creative dance' that all children under 5 seem to be required to attend. Not that I have anything against creative dance. It's very cute to see 3 year olds run around and 'make a shape' and play with pretty stones and pretend to be a wind. But I find something about these tap classes really appeals to me as I sit and watch each Saturday morning while Craig takes Ruby to netball. It's the rhythm, the discipline, the coordination within the group. When Nina's class do their warm up and they are all in sync it is just really cool to watch (and hear). It's interesting too, seeing how kids do it - some all small and compact and precise in their movements, some all arms and gangly legs.

On Sunday they were to perform their rhythms at the Collingwood Toy Library Fair. The top picture was what greeted us as we arrived. It got steadily worse. Decisions were made to cancel, but in the end they moved under the old bleachers and performed on the concrete, for their damp and cold parents. I was so pleased that they got to do it, and that both girls remembered their routines. Grace concentrated so hard that, if you didn't know her, you'd think she was having a miserable time. She was actually having a ball and was terribly thrilled with herself. Ever since, I've woken to hear her thumping out her steps down the hallway.