GOTTA DANCE...

...or so Mama and Daddy hoped.

At three years of age, my parents sent me to the Forest Park

School of Dancing.  It wasn't because of my promising artistic 

abilities, but more because I was a klutz.  I was so accident prone,

I was known for falling out of the back of a truck, a broken collar bone

jumping off of the couch, and riding the back of my cousin Randolyn's

bike, falling off, and being dragged behind with my knee caught in

the spokes.  Mama and Daddy thought, DANCE, was the answer.

This was the program for 1967. 

I had already been there for 10 years.

I was three and a half, with no clue 

of what was ahead of me.

Marian Hutchison

She was the owner, choreographer, and director

of our dance school.  She did not sugar coat our

training.  She treated us like adults.  At three, it was

a little scary.  Years later, that turned into respect

and love.  I was in college when she passed.  I stopped

by her gravesite on a weekend back home, to thank her

for all she gave to me.

Above and below...

My single and class photo.

Four and still going...

Above and below...

Single and group shot.

Edith Little

In the programs she was listed as, Public Relations.

It would be like saying that, "Picasso painted".  If 

"Public Relations" meant bringing life and color to

Marian's vision,  so be it.  We had students from three 

to seventeen, all in different classes with a variety of

numbers.  Designed and costumed by Edith.  You never 

saw her without her thimble and needle.  I remember

in the early years at the Ash Street School, sitting at her 

desk, with fabric and costumes, while we were creating

for her creations.  

Marian and Edith were sisters.

Here's a shout out to all the Mom's who helped make

us look good.

Here's some of Edith's work...

Taps was one of my favorites...

Ballet... Marian would say,  during bar work,

"Straighten the knees"

I always thought she was talking to me.

The Knees... get it?

The suitcase was a prop made out of wood

that we danced on during the number.

I loved this costume.  It was done in different

pastel colors.  I wore my favorite color, green.

I should have been a pitcher...

I liked Jazz too...

Hated toe shoes...

Maybe if I hung in there, they would have 

 created a dance for me with flip flops...

P.S.

Years later, I begged Edith to make me 

The Elf  Suit that I wore with Daddy

 at the Christmas House.

We started out as Forest Park School of Dance,

preforming at Griffin, to Symphony Hall

in Atlanta as the Clayton Civic Ballet.

After 15 years of dance I never advanced 

to the front row.  I was known to have the drive

but not the talent.  More than once I was used

as the example for those with the talent but

not the drive.

Here's to those of us in the back row...

If Daddy had put all that money into

a trust fund, Hmmmm...

2013