Talent Show

Our church does an annual talent show and chili cook off. People come and perform their musical pieces, their well-rehearsed duets, their magic shows, their piano recital pieces, and their Broadways musical renditions. We've got some serious talent. The crowd is super supportive- it's a bunch of mamas and daddies and families who will clap for you just for breathing.

So this year The Boy decided that he wanted to participate. We asked him what he wanted to do, and he was torn between singing We Will Rock You or dancing to Watch Me Whip And Nae Nae. In the end he went with the dance because he doesn't actually know that many words of We Will Rock You, he just repeats what he knows over and over.

He knows the entire dance. He watches it on YouTube and tries to emulate the kids on the video. He can do it (and does it regularly) all on his own. But I still wanted him to practice. The Husband accused me of being a Dance Mom, but I think you should take it seriously when you commit to something. So I had him practice a few times at home. He did it for grandparents, and another time I had him use the porch as his stage.

So Sunday night rolled around, and one kid played Harry Potter theme music on the cello. Another did a variety show complete with song, piano, and magic show. Two teens (in color coordinated clothes, mind you) performed a brass duet. Another kid sang all the 50 states, etc, etc, etc. And then it was The Boy's turn. He got up there and...

If you aren't familiar with this, I can assure you that falling down, running in circles, and shrugging shoulders aren't part of the dance. I thought he was done, and I was going to go escort him off the stage. But then

And everyone cheered and clapped for him, and he beamed. Instead of coming back to sit with us, he turned and went to sit on the front row with the other kids, AKA "the talent". 

After the show parents told me he was great. Others were impressed he got up on the stage at all. Others said he got his stage presence from me (He did ask me when we got there if he could have a microphone for his dance).  Following the show as everyone was packing up and leaving a few of the kids got back up on stage and were all dancing together. Suddenly he'd lost all his anxieties about being on stage, and he even broke out his break dance donkey kick. 

After the show we asked him how he thought he did and he said "good".  In that case, his first talent show was a success. Carry on, Nae Nae.