So I Think My Kids Can Dance

Jacob and Elise had their first real dance lessons tonight. Elise was first and it seemed to go alright, but she is by far the tallest in the class. I kind of hope that the teacher decides to move her up into Jacob’s class–one of her friends in her class at school is in Jacob’s dance class. Anyway, she had a very full class with a lot of little girls running around in pink leotards. Jacob’s class seemed a bit smaller, and when they started tapping, the teacher Miss Evie came bursting excitedly out into the front office where her mother mans the phones etc. and said you gotta come see this! Then she leaned through the pass window and asked if Jacob’s mom was there. I said I was Jacob’s mom (and at the time I was the only mom still sitting there waiting) and she told me that Jacob is making very advanced sounds, that of course he still needs to be taught the basics so he really knows what it is that he’s doing, but that he’s a “hoofer” and is doing moves that a 4-5 year dancer would be working on. She said she didn’t know if she’d be able to keep him in that class–that she may have to move him up. Said she’d turn him into a masculine little Travis! Then she went back in to finish teaching the class and her mother started asking me questions about his interest in dance etc and said that it was rare of her daughter to stop a class to make her watch something. Jacob told me after the class that she told him she liked his mohawk and that he should wear it up next week and that he was so cute!

2 Responses to “So I Think My Kids Can Dance”


  1. 1 Daniel G. Clark

    Becca,

    Naturally, I feel very proud reading your report. I agree about Elise. If she can catch up and be comfortable as the youngest in an older, taller group, that’s where she should be. (I started school as one of the oldest in my kindergarten class, and I’ve never been sorry I got skipped forward a grade, even though I had to get used to being one of the youngest and smallest.)

    Jacob will need lots of encouragement to get him to stick with the discipline of learning the basics, but I’m sure he can become as good as he desires. I’m glad his teacher is so excited, and I hope she’s got what it takes to work with him and hold his interest. I hope it will be okay for him to continue as an occasional student of the Class studio, too. As you know (but I repeat for your cyberaudience), his first tap lesson was there on August 8. You can see him with teacher Lana at http://friendlywork.com/family/thrap/jacob-tapper.jpg . She pushed him, and I think the picture shows they were both happy with his effort. At the end of his hour, he was very tired of being up on his toes. He said he just wants to make his feet “go crazy” like he sees on TV and in movies. She told him he needs to start by understanding all the precise moves those dancers must master to be able to LOOK LIKE they’re going crazy.

    Lana is the daughter of master performer/coach Bruce Brown. See the story I wrote about Bruce soon after he arrived in Muscatine: http://muscanet.com/~dclark/published/brownbldg2.html .

    Of course I’ll see to it that Bruce and Lana receive your update on Jacob’s progress! Since you didn’t include it, I’ll add that the kids’ Encore Dance Academy is online at http://www.1eda.com/

    Dad/GrandpaDan

  2. 2 Kate

    Go Jacob!!!! I’m so proud! I can’t wait until I’m voting for him on So You Think You Can Dance!!

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