Posts tagged “Penny”

DanceMakers Nationals

Posted on July 2, 2023

What starts in August with choreography ends in June with DanceMakers Nationals and the last time they perform their routines of the season. Several routines took home Style High Scores including Let It Bump for Teen Hip Hop Extended Line, Ensnared for Senior Open Group, Money for Senior Hip Hop Line and Heatin’ Up for Senior Hip Hop Extended Line and Ensnared winning Performance of the Year. Lucas always comes into Nationals with nerves and expectations. His emotions swung from insecurity to validation and I am so proud of his resilience and what he was able to accomplish and prove to himself.

Tagged: Creative Dance Center, dance, Dancemakers, Lucas, Myrtle Beach, Nationals, Penny

Penny’s Season 2

Posted on June 11, 2023

From 2018…

Tagged: CDC, competition, Creative Dance Center, dance, Penny

Dance Stars!

Posted on May 22, 2023

Creative Dance Center’s End of Season party was a Celebration of Celebrity and Dance Stars complete with a red carpet and plenty of shining stars.

Tagged: Creative Dance Center, dance, Lucas, Penny

FLY Dance Competition

Posted on May 19, 2023

Lucas’ and Penny’s last regional competition and the first all team competition, all three teams took the stage and all three teams supported each other as Creative Dance Center took home a lot of top placements.

Tagged: competition, Creative Dance Center, dance, Fly, Lucas, Penny

ASH Dance Convention

Posted on February 27, 2023

Artists Simply Human (ASH) Dance convention was our second team convention of the season for Lucas and Penny’s first. While we’ve attended a few optional conventions this season with a smaller group, being there with your whole team is always the best experience.

Matthew Smith has been choreographing and teaching master classes for our studio for the past five years. Part of the faculty at ASH, attending this convention gave our dancers the opportunity to take his classes and continue learning from him. And also gave him the opportunity to see our dancers continued growth. Matthew remembers Lucas from five years ago and has been able to see his growth bit by bit, year over year. Sometimes in classes the choreographer will select a dancer to be filmed. What a tremendous honor and opportunity for Lucas to have this first shining moment with Matthew.

Tagged: ASH, CDC, competition, convention, Creative Dance Center, dance, Lucas, Penny, scholarship

Penny turns 13

Posted on June 13, 2022

May 27

Up at 6:00am, Penny and I quietly celebrated her birthday with a strawberry shortcake and her first wish.

Tagged: 13, birthday, Penny, Rehoboth, scavenger hunt

Penny takes the stage!

Posted on May 27, 2022

Penny started dancing at the age of two; donned in adorable little tutus, jumping alongside friends, entertaining the moms and oblivious to what dance even was. Dance continued off and on over the years, complimented and interrupted by gymnastics, basketball and tennis. As she approached her 7th grade year I asked her to pick one activity to truly dedicate herself to so she could build discipline and see growth. She chose dance. She auditioned and was selected to join the Connect team, a program designed for new competitive dancers. She was placed into two routines, one contemporary and one hip hop, with the same group of girls, all competing for the first time. It has been remarkable to see how they’ve grown and what they achieved as a team.

Tagged: Breakout, competition, Connect, Creative Dance Center, dance, Fly, Hall of Fame, Penny

The Nutcracker

Posted on December 7, 2021

Creative Dance Center’s Nutcracker in a Shell is an abbreviated, updated take on the classic and a festive community event. The performances raise funds for CDC’s non-profit IPAYouth, an organization dedicated to supporting dance education. With only ten rehearsals, over sixty dancers and one dress rehearsal the dancers have to be ready to perform. It is a lot of work, a lot of waiting, a lot of coordination and a lot of details. And it is a lot more than just a performance.

The Dress Rehearsal

Tagged: CDC, Creative Dance Center, dance, Lucas, Nutcracker, Penny, performance, photography

Hair!

Posted on June 2, 2021

Hair represents strength and beauty. In some cultures hair is believed to be your connection to Mother Earth. Her hair means tangles and knots, getting caught in her food, her backpack, her jacket. Her hair trails behind her when she runs and leaps, falls and tumbles when she collapses from a backbend or laughter, splays around her sleeping face. Her hair represents childhood.

She wore her long locks with pride, her dedication and discipline showing in every inch. I only saw tangles and hassle. I began a campaign to encourage her to cut her hair by making it an act of good. Her precious locks would be donated to a child suffering from hair loss. But the thought of losing 12 inches was too much so I waited. With her 12th birthday approaching I decided to renew my campaign, using the significance of this date as a motivator to leave elementary school behind with a fresh new look for middle school. To my surprise she agreed. And to my surprise I was overcome with emotions as I saw those precious locks falling to the floor. Each lock held a carefree, childhood memory. And as I watched what I thought would be a joyous, celebratory moment I felt sad for what we were losing and what I will continue to lose.

Tagged: 12th birthday, chilldhood, Penny, photography

Heart of Gold

Posted on July 25, 2020

How do you carry your heart of gold? Are there some mornings where its sheer weight makes it hard to rise? Does it push and pull other organs, throwing its weight around? Does it flow blood the same, push beats the same, feel love the same?

How do you bear a heart of gold? Does each slight cut deeper, each hurt sting sharper? When you give so openly what do you have left for yourself?

How do you feel with your heart of gold? Does each hug feel warmer? Do the kind words, acts of grace, thoughtful gestures fill you up fuller? Do you carry love deeper?

I may not know how it feels for you but I know how it feels for us.