The Story Behind the Dance

I have wanted to dance for as long as I can remember. Oh sure, I’ve stolen a few private moments dancing to a CD at home or even dared to go public with a few twirls taken in the parking lot after attending an inspiring dance performance. But despite talking about wanting to sign up for a dance class, I never seemed to get around to doing it.

A couple of summers ago, inspired by an inscription on a pillow my mother had given me, I conceived a plan to make my dream come true. The idea was to spend the months leading up to my 50th birthday preparing for a dance performance. The more I thought about the bold, zany idea, the more I liked it. So I ordered some dance shoes, convinced some kindred spirits to join the Always Wanted To (“AWT”) Dance Troupe and found us a dance floor.

All we needed was someone to whip us into shape and teach us some dance steps. That’s where three very special people came into the picture. Kymberli Campbell, our energy guru and motivational trainer, spent many Saturdays guiding us on our journey. With funky notes booming from the box, we turned over our minds and bodies to Kym for spiritual and physical conditioning. Thank you Kymmie, for pushing us toward the mark!

For dance techniques and inspiration, we turned to Erin Finley and Lauren Washington, two extraordinarily talented young women. They gave up their Tuesday and Thursday evenings this summer – their last school break before entering college – to help us. Thank you both for accepting our invitation to choreograph AWT’s premier performance. We’re not your average students, we know, yet you hung in there and kept us coming back for more. Your graceful demonstrations and encouraging smiles inspired us to do our best to recreate your artistic vision. Upon their high school graduation and transition to their college dance careers, we found Jessica Tubbs who has inspired us to dance our best dance always and to claim the spotlight!

Each time I pull on my dance gear and join my AWT sisters, I celebrate the gift of life and its many creative outlets. I am filled with the joy of trying something new, experiencing my passion for dance with an awesome group of women and now, sharing the gift of dance with you!

Enjoy the show,

Gail "Susan" Washington