One Dimensional Dance Show Shenanigans
For the last several weeks we have been keeping a secret from our children – a secret that nearly got blown on Friday morning, when several T-Shirts were accidentally left out after another late night sewing machine andstencilingsession. It didn't take long for our middle daughter to figure out who the stenciled names on the shirts belonged to – “Harry”, “Niall”, “Liam”, “Louis”, and “Zayn”...
“ARE ONE DIRECTION COMING TO THE DANCE SHOW?
“No, seriously – you can't tell ANYBODY – not even your best friends”.
And so it was that we convinced our children that One Direction were coming to their annual show. Of course the reality was ever so slightly different, and made the entire audience almost die with laughter, but I'll get to that in a moment.
On the way to the venue this evening with our eldest daughter, she started quizzing me about the “secret part of the show”, and I hit upon a rather clever continuation of the maze of falsehoods that had been spread so far.
“You do realise the secret visitors have been staying with families around town, don't you?”
“NO! Really!?”
And so it was our eldest daughter didn't speak to me for several minutes. Apparently it was my fault that we hadn't taken her to visit any of our friend's houses over the preceding days, and I wasn't about to be forgiven.
An hour later, while sat in the show (which was spectacular, and amazing, I might add), we reached the penultimate number – “One Way, Or Another”, starring three of the Dance Crew girls, but no mention of anybody else. No mention until a minute or so in, when five Dads burst onto the stage in wigs, wearing the afore-mentioned T-shirts. It brought the house down (although not as much as the re-creation of the One Direction video that followed, which effectively turned the entire performance up to 11, Spinal Tap style). When the younger children joined their Dads on stage, also dressed as the various band members, the cheers and applause exploded.
I often remark that we are in the business of building memories with the children – tonight, the memory building was entirely in the hands of their dance teacher, and her small army of helpers. They work wonders year after year, channeling the almost limitless enthusiasm and energy of hundreds of children into the most amazing experiences – experiences that will be remembered for the rest of their lives.