Dance Dads

parade If you’ve ever raised a girl, particularly one interested in dance, you’ve probably know about Dance Moms. Even if your daughter didn’t dance, you probably knew a few because they have a certain reputation … among other things, for living vicariously through their daughters. There is even a reality show (to the degree that any of those are reality … I think they are all staged) called Dance Moms. But unless your daughter was involved in dance, you probably don’t know much about Dance Dads. Dance Dads are more behind the scenes, building props and sets as needed, putting them up as needed at field shows and competitions where if we took too long the girls lost points. And, just like the Dance Moms, sitting through hours of loud music and good-to-awful dance routines to see our daughters dance for 5 or 10 minutes. And while we may never be able to tell pique turn from a plie, we gradually learn what they look like done right … and cheer right along with the Dance Moms when our daughters do them right.

My daughter’s goal was to make the high school dance team, which was very good. Unfortunately, while many of the girls had been dancing at private studios practically since they could walk, Amy started late and had to endure not making the team twice while she continued to improve on studio teams. And improve she did, making the team in her junior year. Over the years I travelled to Disney World with the studio team and to San Antonio with the high school team, trips that were always a lot of fun but filled with adolescent girl drama. As a Dance Dad, my favorite routine was the high school field show, a Conga Line production that was full of joy … and didn’t require a lot of props for the Dance Dads to set up.

The next year, the field show was based on Starlight Express which required us to set up a skating rink on the field in less than three minutes. We never lost the girls any points but it was always close.

So, now at 77 I get to be a Dance Papa for my Granddaughter, Savannah, a position that has all the joys of being a Dance Dad without all the work (or financial outlay … did I mention how expensive this is?). Oh there is still some adolescent drama and there are still hours in auditoriums or gyms with loud music and good-to-awful dance routines, but old age makes the minutes watching Savannah even more precious. And she looks so much like her Mom, its like seeing my daughter Amy dance again. But I still can’t tell a pique turn from a plie.