Creative Movement, Ballet, Tap, Children's DVD, Burlington, NC
Today was the last day... mixed emotions from everybody. Girls are excited about evaluations but sad about leaving. I cannot help but look at my rising 8th graders and tell them to savor every last minute of this experience. I told my girls each day that this was their last day (1, 2, 3, and 4) and they could never get it back... to make the most of it.
Last night after I made my blog post I was invited to the first annual "TMS Dance Talent Show" complete with commercials. I have not laughed that hard in a very long time. I never knew of the comedy in some of these girls... nor the nerve! My little bits were hilarious with their skit and costume. Dani and Brittany with their commercials were over the top. I am convinced that I will see Dani on some reality TV show in the future. My models were quite impressive featuring their products... did Lillie really say "can I just have the Pringles"? I will never forget that night and it was totally worth the one hour less sleep.
Each girl showed up in my room starting at 6:15am with their brush and bobby pins (or Jimmy pins Dani?). I created at least 14 perfect poofs and ponytails while the other 5 did their own hair. The girls packed up their room and we headed to breakfast. The girls did a number on the French Toast Sticks leaving their mark at the Wake Forest dining hall... they waved good-bye to the staff and told them "see you next year". The staff liked us because we ALWAYS cleaned up our area. We went straight to the gym for warm up and our parents started to arrive.
The girls performed their B and C routines and received high marks. During the final drill downs our very own Lilli made it to the final 3!!! Go Lilli... that girl has incredible focus and listening skills! Awards came and our team was awarded a superior trophy, 110% award for our spirit and energy, a spirit stick, and leadership pin to our very own Bethani, and I received the Coach Award! After the awards the girls headed back with their parents to visit Camp Store Sarah who stayed open just for us! The girls loaded up with their parents and left UDA. As I closed my door I thought to myself what another wonderful camp. If this is any indication of how our year is going to go then we will be over the top because I feel we are starting so high already.
This morning I was so excited standing out front waiting for moms and dads. It gives me so much joy to watch the parents watch their girls. I guess you just have to be a parent to understand the pride you have in your child watching them have so much fun doing something they love so much. You are able to see your child growing inside and you are just so proud of the person they have become... I guess as parents we all need and want that little validation that we did a good job. I also feel that way as a coach and when I see the girls perform it reminds me of why I do this. I left my husband to take care of all four of our children... 17, 16, 13, and 5! That is a lot of laundry and food! Thank you to my family for letting Mommy do what she loves to do. Thank you to the staff for making my girls feel like they are so special. Thank you to Miss Karena for being my extra set of eyes and ears... and for having so much fun with the girls... they love you! We all hope to see you as the next Cinderella at Disney World... now go and make that dream happen! Thank you to the other teams that were at the camp... you gave my girls something to reach for and you embraced them and they felt like you were their big sisters. Thank you to UDA for giving my girls the chance to make the best memories of their lives. We will be back next year. Thank you to my parents for being so supportive and helpful. Thank you to my team for giving me the chance to be your coach.
I love you,
Miss Kim
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Posted by MissKim on July 26, 2010 | Printer-Friendly
The girls moved a little slow this morning... some even overslept...but I made sure to serenade them with "Good Morning"... that helped the sleepy dancers... so did me pulling their covers off! I had to resort to drastic measures while others just popped onto their feet. The morning classes were reviews of all three routines learned so far. The instructors conducted a mock evaluation so that the dancers knew what to expect. The girls asked me a hundred times what time it was and when was it time to go to lunch!
Lunch and dinner always consist of two main concerns... where we are going to sit and how creative you can pour your ice cream. This is very important at camp. We have nice cones that are perfect circles, then there is the tall blob, and then there is the straight sticks pilled on top of each other. Topics of conversation today at the table were how many pieces of pizza the girls have eaten, how many pounds of ice cream has been consumed, and if Miss Kim minds if they drink a soft drink. Again, these experiences help me learn each girl's personalities.
After dinner we had "A routine" evaluations where everyone earned a blue ribbon. I was so happy that everyone was excited and not too nervous. They all smiled and had a fabulous time. Grace charmed the judges with her smile over and over and over. I have to say I did have some tears watching these girls jump with happiness seeing their blue ribbons. They were just so proud.
Tonight at the big sis little sis meeting with their big sis Kath we talked about our tree. Our motto on our tree is "Be The Best You Can Be and Always Make Miss Kim Proud". The leaves are filled with each girl's individual goals and the roots are my goals for the year. UDA All Americans were announced and I am very proud to say that Bethani, Carly, Lillie W., Katherine, and Becky all made All American. They were presented with a metal and information about the parade that they can perform in.
I am being invited right now to the talent show so I must end quickly. The girls are squealing with laughter and I now I am in for a treat. I just thought to myself... memories are being made right now. They will think back when they are older about the best times of their lives... and I bet this will be at the top of their list. Today has been filled with hugs, tears, laughter, and so much more. These are what memories are made of.
Miss Kim
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Posted by MissKim on July 25, 2010 | Printer-Friendly
Wow... 6:00am came so fast! I jumped out of the bed and quickly got myself ready. Around 6:15 I made my rounds stopping at the peace, love, and dance room. I started singing "good morning... good morning" until they opened their door. Miss Kim can dance but Miss Kim CANNOT sing so the doors were opened pretty quickly. I gave every girl a big ol' hug and told them good morning. I think the sweetest thing in the whole world is a sleepy child's face... I know dancers... you are young ladies but you will always be my girls. We left right on time and were the first ones at breakfast. Let the feast begin. There were eggs, bacon, pancakes, doughnuts, pastries, fruit, oatmeal, you name it and it was there. I made my rounds making sure everyone had something healthy on their plate and something good to drink. I loved hearing all the behind the scenes stories such as Dani transforming into a supermodel and posing in several outfits for Miss Karena.
After breakfast we broke into two groups. I took the All American girls to learn their routine while Miss Karena took the rest of the group back to brush teeth. The All American dancers were chosen by asking the 8th graders first. Three 8th graders wanted to try out which opened up three additional spots. I asked for volunteers and Lillie W., Carly, and Becky raised their hands so they will join Lilli C., Bethani, and Katherine in the All American tryouts which will be held tomorrow afternoon. When we all arrived for the first session of camp we were surprised by two teams which brought us goodies! How sweet of them. It really made my girls feel special... just a piece of candy can do wonders.
I went to a meeting which was very interesting. All the girls were given personality tests. After taking the tests they gave them to me and they were a Directing Tiger, Entertaining Robin, Steady Teddy Bear, or a Cautious Snake. We had to take them too and I was a Robin. I was really amazed at how true to life these evaluations were. Even when we went to lunch three snakes sat together while robins grouped into one large group and so on. Tigers take charge and love new challenges, Robins are motivating, do not like to be controlled, and make friends easily, Bears do not like change, listen more than talk and have great eye contact, and Snakes do not like making mistakes and are very detailed oriented. This was a great tool for me to use when I am teaching, dealing with certain situations, and just being a better coach overall by knowing how each girl learns.
When I finished my meeting the girls had finished learning their B routines. Some learned a fast paced pom routine while the rest learned an incredible jazz dance. They had a trivia game after and TMS dancers answered two questions correctly and won prizes! The girls raced to lunch like usual and filled their bellies. I laughed at one dancer when she asked me if it was supper... guess she thought it had been a long day. The dancers did enjoy a nice 45 minute break after lunch and some girls actually took a little power nap. We headed back to class with spirit in our step. The girls made a tunnel for all the other teams and cheered them on as they entered the gym. During this session they rehearsed their dances and then did something really incredible. The hit TV show "So You Think You Can Dance" is honoring National Dance Day and having dancers across America show them how they are celebrating. UDA has become involved by filming their dancers performing the hip hop dance. Our girls were filmed doing the dance and are keeping their fingers crossed that they will see themselves on the upcoming Wed night show. Who knows? Even our little Becca yelled out from the huge crowd "Hey So You Think You Can Dance"!
We finished our evening with dinner, another routine, then rehearsal, and now bed. My specialty awards tonight were "Race To The Finish Line": Maya Williamson and "Most Spirit": Carly Cates. The girls were fading fast at the last dance and these two girls kept up their energy to finish with a bang. Good job. The confidence levels in my girls are skyrocketing... doing things that I know is out of their comfort zone. There are feeling free to be themselves and have a ton of fun. They do not mind being the loudest, trying to dance the biggest, and just walking up and talking to a dancer they have never met before. There is even a high school team from Virginia that has adopted our team... they said that they just love what we do. This sort of thing happens every year. We are connected through dance... it gives us the chance to be the best we can be and do what we love to the fullest.
Good night,
Miss Kim
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Posted by MissKim on July 24, 2010 | Printer-Friendly
What a day! We began our journey this morning departing at 8:00am. Girls eagerly hugged their moms goodbye and we boarded our cars with "UDA or bust" on our minds. After touring the Wake Forest campus for around 20 minutes because Miss Kim could not find her way we finally located the registration desk. The girls unloaded their bags and started there journey to their suites. This year I had several parents who helped me until Miss Karena arrived. They helped with my van, my luggage, paperwork, you name it and they were there... I almost convinced a couple of moms to stay but their daughters might not have liked that. The girls had one thing on their minds... DECORATING! Themes are just amazing this year. Christmas, Casino, Pretty In Pink, Candy Land, Rainbow, and Rock and Roll to name a few. After decorating we walked to Subway and filled our bellies. Quite a few bees joined us so we decided to eat at our dorm. The girls had a thousand questions... what do we do first... when do we go... are we the youngest... will it be too hard... and so on and so on.
We did our headcount and headed to our camp opening. I attended a meeting while the girls had their first warm-up. They split up and learned two different dances. I went back and forth to each class making sure all the girls were doing ok. I saw smiles on their faces, bounces in their steps, and screams coming from their lungs... they were finally at camp. After learning A routines we had our home routine practices. The girls listened to the criticism given by the UDA instructor and immediately looked even better than before. Then the instructor said the magic word... time to eat!!! I laughed so hard because of one particular dancer that is generally always last... run to the front of the pack... briskly walking to the dining hall. Nothing was getting in her way. The girls found themselves in a wonderland of food not knowing which way to go first. Some started with dessert while others ended with dessert. One tiny little girl put away almost an entire plate of Oreo delight! The girls sat all together and laughed until they could not laugh anymore. They cleaned their area well because TMS Dance Team would never leave a mess!
After dinner we quickly changed into our uniform for our home routines. Girls lined up in my room as I poofed several heads of hair. We had several photo ops as we traveled back to the gym. The girls danced their dance in front of filled bleachers... and they did it like they were pros. I appreciated Western Dance Team's girls cheering my girls on... thank you! The girls did not seem nervous at all to me which made me feel like a million bucks. After home routines they got to start their drill downs which is basically a dance version of Simon Says. Bethani, Lilli C., and Cameron were winners for TMS bringing in 8 yellow ribbons! We headed back to the dorm at 8:30pm to practice. We practiced for a full hour outside in our common area. I am so proud of my girls not going and laying down... instead they worked and worked hard. I saw an intense desire to do well from some of my dancers which made me feel so good. Showers began around 9:30 and some girls started to call parents when all of a sudden... the fire alarm went off! It was 10:15 I think and all of us learned a lesson (although it was not my team)... when flat ironing one's hair you should look up and make sure you are not directly under a smoke alarm! We made it back to our rooms around 10:30 to finish our showers.
We had a short meeting to talk about the day and what was upcoming on Saturday. I gave two awards... Hardest working: Becky Thomas... .Biggest Dessert: Cameron Clark!!! I did a bed check and door check and all is well tonight. I had one dancer a little homesick but that quickly passed when her roommate told her she could sleep on her air mattress with her. That made me have a little tear... my team is coming together... helping each other out in ways they never thought they would. Today these girls danced together, ate together, cheered together, laughed together, sweated together, and now are quietly sleeping together. The bond is forming. Thank you UDA for this opportunity to show these girls what being a team is all about.
Goodnight,
Miss Kim
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Posted by MissKim on July 23, 2010 | Printer-Friendly
In past couple of months TMS dance team has had about four practices. These practices have been filled with technique, learning, and working on our home routine for dance camp. It has not given me a chance to get to know my girls except what type of dancer they are. Well, that all changed Tuesday and Wednesday night! We had our annual covered dish supper with moms and dads. We prepared for camp and answered all the camp questions. The main thing the girls are worried about is the food and the showers... and if there are enough of both! The storm was quite intense so the pool closed early before we got a chance to swim. I knew how important this time was for the girls so we planned for the next night after dance. After dance team practice we headed to the pool. I love this time because this is when I really get to see the girl's personalities. We went off the diving board... yes... WE.... I did my flip again for them! The girls went down the slide... all of these were picture moments. They made their dancer circle in the pool and then took pictures with their big sisters and little sisters. I was so happy about what I saw in the pool... all of my girls were talking to each other... no little groups... all together. I see a team forming... not just on paper but through each other. Seeing relationships grow between girls that might not have ever been friends. That is what a team is... coming together through something we love.
UDA here we come!!!
Miss Kim
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Posted by MissKim on July 22, 2010 | Printer-Friendly
I finished the summer session at First Pres CDC this past Wed. What a fun time we have had this summer! The atmosphere during the summer is a little different than the regular school year. Class is much more laid back with lots of creative movement and "wiggle getter outers" as Avery would say. Attendance was lower due to vacations so I combined the classes for the past couple of weeks. Although it was loud it was so much fun seeing the boys and girls interact. My favorite interaction came between Savanna and her older brother Gabe... Savanna went into hug mode when her brother came in the room and did not stop until they left. I told Savanna that she would always love her big brother (I have two). It was heart warming watching some of my older students like Max and Reece help the little ones. Max would show little Ethan how to pop his knees and how to stay out of trouble! I have watched one sweet girl who could not stop crying her first day bloom into a smiling, bubbly dancing queen. Moments like these remind me of why I do this.
We hopped, skipped, jumped, danced, rolled, crab walked, learned cartwheels, stretched (clam shells), had an obstacle course, played games, and always ended with the parachute. My goal for each class was to have fun and burn a lot of energy. I think we accomplished that and then some. I want to say thanks to some of the teachers that stayed and helped me... I enjoyed watching you shake, jump, hop, skip, and dance. I am so happy to be able to be a part of this special family.
This fall (in just less than a month) we will start up our normal classes and get ready for another amazing year of dancing. I want to say a special thank you to parents for sharing your children with me. To CDC graduates, good luck to you and I wish you the best as you start kindergarten. I hope that you always have dance in your heart and hopefully when you hear the word "dance" you will think of me.
Love,
Miss Kim
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Posted by MissKim on July 11, 2010 | Printer-Friendly
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