For the past two weeks, my brother Jonathan has been running a children’s drama camp at our church. But please be specific about it. It’s a drama camp, not a theater camp. Not at all.
Because when I asked my nephew Ollie how he was enjoying theater camp, he gave me a blank stare before asking, “What’s theater camp?”
And I was like, “Uh…it’s the camp you’ve been going to for almost two weeks now.”
And then he smiled as it dawned on him, “Do you mean drama camp?” he corrected me.
Yep, that’s what I meant, alright. Silly me.
But today I taught a dance class to all the kids. And they were hilarious. And enthusiastic. They yelled out things that I never would have thought of myself. Cause see, if you get any comparisons to animals at all while you are dancing, it is to the ones who are more graceful. You hope, anyway. Like gazelles. Or even panthers. But while we were doing a little walk in place during the warm-up, just rolling the hips from side to side slightly as we rolled through our feet, one kid yelled out, “Oh. A hippo.”
And I started to laugh because, well, a hippo. I had never thought this particular move looked anything like a hippo, but sure. A hippo.
And then we started doing some plies and the same kid yells out, “Oh. Now a frog.” And again, sure. A frog. Why not? Why the heck not a frog? Works for me, I suppose.
But I think my favorite quote was something Jonathan told me that one of the campers said to him right after my dance class. The boy walks up to him and confidently says, “Huh. I’d never done yoga before, but I have to say it was my favorite part of the camp!”
Hahahahahahahaha. I don’t know if I should break it to him that he’s actually still never done yoga.
But at least it was his favorite part.
And maybe now he can say that his two favorite yoga poses are The Hippo and The Frog.
Sooooooo cute! We have some wonderful kids at our church! They truly do say the darndest things!
I am so glad to see you doing what you do Jess. It warms my heart to know that you are teaching them dance moves. I wish there was a camera to film all the kids gyrating their hips. No matter what, you haven’t lost any part of your identity…except the bad part that wasn’t really your identity…it is a wonderful thing to see!
thanks, rachel. and I’m happy to lose “the bad part” of my identity, if that’s what it is, for sure:)
Mebbee ya’all need to drop all dem fancy-shmancy French terms fer ballet moves an’ use good ole ‘merican terms like frog an’ hippo an’ such. Ya know, to make ballet more accessible and stuff.
And drama is definitely the more appropriate term, because really, how many people spend much time in a theater? Whereas most kids as they enter their teenage years have lots of drama, so it’s good to train them to do it right.
both points are very well taken, Peaj.
and of course most ballet dancers want to be compared to hippos!
and haha about teenagers and their drama:)
how adorable!!!!!
Well, actually, this would not be the first time hippos were associated with ballet…there is that famous ballet sequence in the movie Fantasia (if I am not mistaken)…the one with the hippos in tutus…so this makes total sense to me!
and kathie–this is true! fantasia made the association first, I suppose!
I thought of Fantasia, too, Kathie!
And yes, Ollie is quite the perfectionalist when it comes to the proper terminology. And yes, I know I wrote perfectionist wrong, but I think the word perfectionalist is hilarious.
Jase, your hilariosity is infectional…
In the future, please just say Jonathan, not brother jonathan. I need to keep my place in the tag cloud!
Jonathan: noted!
ps “brother jonathan” makes you sound like friar tuck or something!
Jonathan, I’m in the tag cloud as both Jason and brother Jason. How the jealousy must burn.
Now we just gotta get you in the tag cloud as brother jarson.
hahaha I ‘m so glad you said something about ‘perfectionalist’ cause I was like, I hope he doesn’t really think that’s a word…I was slightly embarrassed for my fancy-LA-writer brother!!!
So cute Jess….You know Shannon Lewis just got her yoga certification to teach, you should give her a ring, and tell her about the hippo! I’m sure she would to add that in…Namaste