DANCE FESTIVAL 2010: A Firm Foundation
Last year on my birthday I got a phone call from Jeff Jackson asking if I would be the stake director and our stake's regional representative for the regional dance festival to take place the end of June 2010. I was very excited to accept this position. I knew the regional directors well and knew it would be a great event. I was also very excited to be working with youth again, and dusting off my dancing shoes. I knew it would be quite an undertaking, but found out quickly that was severely understated. At the end of this event this dance festival spanned seven stakes and had about 2000 youth participating. What a journey I have been on. One I will always remember and cherish - what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!
Richie and Erin Gillespie (Regional Directors) helping me teach the Priests and Laurels the Waltz.
The first 6 or 7 months were quite lonely. The stake was going through major leadership changes which left me alone to plan, organize and implement a way to teach and costume over 400 youth for 7 dances and 2 choral arrangements. Serving on the regional committee I was also responsible for keeping a history of the event, and overseeing the human and public relations interactions, including press and media releases. In addition, I sat in counsel with the regional directors and the other six stake representatives to plan and present the dance festival program to the community while providing the youth with a youth conference experience.
Austin's appearance (with other youth leaders) on AM Northwest to promote the dance festival.
Here are just a few of the hurdles I had to overcome:- How do you find enough practice space for 400 youth?
- How do you partner teenage boys and girls without having feelings hurt?
- What do you do when you have more boys that girls?
- How do you get busy youth to attend dance practices on top of their already busy schedules?
- How do you get leaders to engage when they aren't responsible for the outcome?
- Where do you find 2000 pens for youth to journal their experience, and how do you pass them out?
- How do you move 2500 people through a venue on a time schedule?
- Can you imagine the lines at the girl's bathrooms - how many "honey buckets" do we need to get?
- How do you cycle four groups of about 500 through practice times on the field and keep them busy when they aren't practicing?
- The army told us they couldn't feed that many (we asked their emergency response teams to use us as a training exercise), could the Relief Society do it?
- After youth all over the region have been practicing for 6 months alone how do you bring them all together on the field in one day and put a show together to perform that night as a unified group?
Do Re Mi - Austin's favorite dance (next to MORE and the Rhumba)!
You would not believe the end result, unless you saw it. The show was spectacular. It brought people to tears and to their feet. The youth didn't want the weekend to end. The spirit surrounding the stadium was palpable.
Patriotic Opening: A Tribute to the Armed Services
I Love To See The Temple
Even more spectacular than the show, was what we were able to accomplish working with these youth over the past six months. They put down their cell phones and learned to interact face to face. Young men and young women learned respect for one another. They learned about commitment and hard work. They saw miracles happen. They learned tolerance for others. Many of them learned they enjoy dancing. Many learned something new about themselves. Everyone made new friends and saw that they weren't alone in following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Here is Tanners synopsis of his dance festival experience: "It was amazing. The practices became very tedious and time consuming. It was hard to learn all the dances through. But in the end it was great. It gave me the opportunity to see just how many youth are living the same standards I am. I was also able to meet some new people and get outside my comfort zone. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would have a better attitude at the beginning because I would know how great the end product would be and that it would be worth all the work."
Tanner was able to participate in the Do Re Mi and MORE number mentioned above, the disco and the waltz. He said if he had the opportunity to do it again, he would definitely participate in the specialty numbers too. I think he saw what a good time his little brother had doing those. Tanner is quite the dancer! His partners were lucky young women.
Tanner and Alysa Dustin learning the disco.
Austin and Morgan Jackson performing the Rhumba
Austin had this to say: The practices started being demoralizing because it didn't seem like things were coming together, but when we all got together that weekend and saw it all work in the formations it was amazing. It was so neat to see all those youth uphold the same standards I do. When I went on the field to perform it felt good to see it all come together as it was supposed to. When we concluded the show with the hymn "How Firm a Foundation," I could see the audience felt the spirit of the program we had presented. I was able to feel that spirit all weekend long with the youth conference events and every time we performed.
I think Austin enjoyed letting his inner performer out. He would get really embarrassed when I told him what great "dancer arms" he had, and it was SO fun to see him really get moving on the MORE dance. I think he found a hidden talent, or at least something he really enjoys. I am pleased he chose to dance the Rhumba with Morgan Jackson, which even meant more practices, and on Saturday mornings none the less. You know the kids love it when they get together on their own and hold even more practices! Which Austin and Morgan did with other couples from the dance regularly. Austin also performed in the Jive/Swing number pictured above. All in all I think it is safe to say he really enjoyed himself.
Helaman's Army: Then and Now
We are 2000 Strong: Youth Conference
This was a successful event. I am grateful I was part of it. It is amazing what has been accomplished. I definitely did not do it alone. To relieve stress but still feel I was making progress on the festival, there were nights my family moved all the furniture out of the front room and danced together. There were other nights McKenna and I were sewing costumes. Most nights Eric was left to get dinner on the table so I could be at my meetings or dance practices. McKenna enjoyed helping me teach the MORE dance and accompanying me to the many of the dance practices I got to attend. One of my favorite memories of this experience will be of me dancing with my teenage sons as they learned their age specific dances. Eric was my liaison with the Evergreen School district and the scout troops that met at one of their schools to learn their dance. Carson made sure I had my supply of hugs. My father-in-law helped round up hundreds of pens. My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her husband helped with the registration carnival that kicked off the event and the pep assembly between dance practices the following day. My parents took care of my two youngest for three days while I worked the event. It was a family affair! Besides my family I had a lot of support from sweet friends, old and new. Hours of service to help me with posters, sorting t-shirts, even grocery shopping and fixing meals for my family. I wish you all could have seen the show, but even then you would have only scratched the surface of the entire experience.
2000 youth singing How Firm a Foundation
