#4 - An Evening of Dance
Not long ago I had a remarkable experience in, of all places, the Camden Opera House. "Of all places," I say, because the opera house is not one of my usual haunts. But it was the night of a student performance by the People to People Dance Center, and what happened there that night was very much like finding a showy lady slipper in the woods.
I just happened to know some boys who were to perform that night. They were the only all-male Act of the evening. By 6:30 my wife and I were sitting in our seats reading what appeared to be an awfully ambitious program book; there were 22 dance numbers ahead of us. While we waited for things to happen I got caught up in all sorts of mini-dramas as I watched the littlest kids - and there were lots of them - trying to cope with their dance costumes. There was endless adjustment and ribbon tying, leotard-yanking, hair-brushing, nose-picking and just plain keeping it all on. We were about to find out why we came.
Down went the house lights; up went the curtain, and out came 16 little beauties to show the world what creative movement is all about. And they did. And the audience looked back and forth with delighted grins. By the time the first number was over they were doing a lot more than grinning. These kids were fantastic.
Group after group, all different ages, came out to do numbers with such titles as "Footloose," "Hooked on Dance," " Chinese Dance," Pizzicati," " Planet Rock" and "Pyrotechnic." We watched several levels of ballet, various jazz numbers, modern dance, break-dancing and belly-dancing.
After intermission were the adult performances in which even the instructors took part. The dancers all danced, not only with purpose, but with a great deal of enjoyment. There was a thread of organization and polish in evidence that whole evening, which was due undoubtedly to the instructors' true professional backgrounds and years of experience. They brought their classes together from many coastal towns - maybe a hundred little kids, big kids and grownups - and they weren't just pretty good; they were terrific!
At the end of one particularly popular number there was such a roaring of applause with whistles that the half dozen break-dancers on stage were rendered almost helpless. They knew they had been good. They just beamed in the spotlights and drank it all in. This was something none of them had ever experienced before. I can tell you, it was a compelling scene, the kind that restores a flagging faith in our youth and America.
The entire evening was a clear demonstration of the kind of energy and talent that resides in most of us, just looking for a good outlet. Someone remarked, " I feel like I'm missing out on something." A lot of people are. You should have been there.