Christmas Show Wrap-Up

Wow. What can I say other than wow. Words escape me when I try to express how proud I am of every woman that took the stage on Saturday. I was blown away by your work to get to Saturday and on show day you just killed it. The audience was in awe of your confidence and abilities. I am a very proud pole mama!
This year we had 46 women participate in the Christmas Show! It was by far our biggest show ever. We had an audience of ~410. And the feedback has been that this was “the best show yet” and that the audience was mesmerized by the dancers. So many audience members told me they didn’t know what to expect but it sure exceed anything they were thinking.
Tanners was a fantastic venue for us. I have to say that I adore Jason and his team. They made putting on the show so much easier for me and for that I’m eternally grateful. They took care of a bunch of little details and Jason was so patient in answer all my questions! The food was also yummy! I’m so happy to have this partnership with them and am excited to announce that we’ve already reserved Saturday, December 10th at Tanners for 2016!
One of the BIG helps this year was 5 men who dressed as clowns, the things you do when you love an Aerial Dance instructor… Bringing the aerial rig on and off stage was one of the things I was losing sleep over before the show. In my head it was going to work great but I was seriously concerned that in real life it wouldn’t work and all the aerial in the show would end up needing to be off to the side. Thankfully my head and reality got along for once and the clowns made it happen. Dan, Arnie, Trey, Ryan and Tim made our transitions between apparatus quick and smooth. They kept the show going and, most importantly, kept everyone safe!
My staff is AMAZING. So much goes on behind the scenes to put on this show. Kelly W and Arnie join Dan, Paul and I at the studio to pack up ALL THE GEAR. Paige, Ryan, Kim and Arnie showed up at 9am to set-up the stage with us. The tear down was super quick with everyone assigned jobs to get our gear off stage and out of the building asap so we too could enjoy the party. Kelly S showed up at 10am on Sunday to help us unload everything. And by noon on Sunday I had everything put away at the studio and we were set to resume normal. I dislike moving all the gear, it’s heavy! So having everyone pitch in to help is so appreciated and one more reason why my staff is AMAZING.
But what truly makes my staff amazing is how they work with students and how they performed. The amount of time they put in “off book” with students to get them ready was seriously incredible. Then I was so inspired watching them perform. If anyone looked over my way when one of them was performing, I was usually jumping up and down clapping or had a look of complete concentration that clearly said “something big is about to happen, be safe and nail it and somehow my eyes piercing you are going to help that happen.” All 8 instructors did solos on the apparatus of their choice and all 8 have made me excited to train with them. I will learn from each of them! Every one had their own super cool spice in their routine. Every one had some crazy aerial stuff happening and a killer stage presence. I’m so insanely proud to work with these women.
And speaking of proud, what can I say about our students other than I must be the luckiest person alive. They worked so hard to learn their routines. The buzz and excitement before the show was just so bloody much fun to be a part of. Everyone was helping each other get ready. Everyone was encouraging and soothing nerves. Yes, they all rocked their performances. But more than anything our students brought tears to my eyes by clearly showing the community here at Aerial Dance. What can I say other than I’m so grateful to be part of this community of amazing women.
One of the MANY highlights for me was when a fairly new dancer who had the guts to dance in the show came up to me after. She thanked me and said “I feel beautiful”. And that is the best compliment ever to me because that is what I’ve tried to create at Aerial Dance. A safe place for women to gain aerial skills, confidence and a belief in their own beauty is our mission. I saw so much on Saturday to be proud of. I’m the luckiest person on the planet.