Lights down as curtains swish

As parents hush each other, rustling

Their programmes handed out

By eager twelve year olds, at the entrance

Smiles and welcomes to the show

And then the music starts, as lines

Of leotarded girls step out

With canes and top hats in their hands,

A Year 11 sings New York New York

And parents tap along to trumpet sounds

The final notes and jazz hands wave

While parents jump to tired feet

Applauding all the smiling kids.

We had a school dance show today and the kids were so excited to tell me all about it. I didn’t stay to watch but I was leaving the school just as they were all coming in at about 6ish.

A girl has already showed me a video from last night’s performance and it was bloody brilliant. She allowed me to watch their rendition of New York New York, complete with top hats and canes and a full live band.

I knew that they were also doing a number from the Matilda musical and a Bollywood dance and it was lovely to see them all so excited about performing. Kids can sometimes lack any motivation to do anything so I feel all warm and fuzzy when I see those that have put all that effort in and are really putting themselves out there and getting involved.

I bumped into three of my favourite Year 7s in the car park as I was leaving, and they were all dressed up in their scruffy school uniforms and their hair was all back combed. They came running up to me and asked if they looked like Revolting Children as that was the song from Matilda that they were dancing to.

I told them they looked like the kind of children I would never want to teach and they ran off laughing, satisfied with my answer.

Well done to all the kids out there who just give it a go. You rock.

Much Love

Rachel xx