On Friday, I briefly mentioned that I was going to a dance show Saturday night with my mom and sister. It is one of the two dance schools in Hershey (for a small town, it seems to have a very high concentration of dancers!) - One Broadway - and they have been known for years to put on quite a show every year. The school got its start in 1991 (holy crap) when the two owners of the original school (Hershey School of Dance) had a falling out. One Broadway opened down the street from Hershey School of Dance and quickly gained a reputation as the (in my humble opinion) stronger "talent pool" in town.
Over the years, One Broadway put on some seriously amazing shows, which they called "Tappin." Because of the talent of its dancers, it was able to pull off things that you'd see in big dance companies. They copied - almost tap for tap - numbers from Broadway shows. Tappin has always been a big production, and the weekend of the show is a big weekend in Hershey. Girls took off school on the Friday before the show to "prepare," and the whole town turned out to see it.
In the years after my sister's class left, things kind of got a little weird at One Broadway, and the quality of the show (from what I've heard) suffered. I went back this year not really knowing what to expect. I have to say that although it's definitely different from the years I was there, it seems to be on the up-swing. There are definitely some talented girls (one in particular who I could not take my eyes off of) and for the most part, the choreography was very strong. I think the show still has a way to go, but it's obvious that the current teachers (3 of whom are One Broadway alumni; 2 of whom I absolutely worshiped when I was a wee thing) really care about turning the school around and making it the spectacle it once was.
Anyway, I know none of you really care about any of this, but One Broadway and Tappin were such a huge part of my life for so long, I really just wanted to talk about it a little bit. To make it more interesting, and to help showcase some of the crazy things that One Broadway did over the years, here are a few pictures from my days as a One Broadway dancer. Get ready, cuz I am about to supremely embarass myself!!
1989 - "Playin with the Boys." My first year of dance. I was 10. And yes, that is a trash can lid on my foot. That's how awesomesauce 1Bway was. I cannot tell you how much it was to stomp around with that thing. This same year, we did another number dressed as painters and carried ladders around.
1990 - "Baby, I'm a Star." Little-known but awesome Prince song. This year we also did Grease, and had pink ladies and t-birds. I was a t-birds. I wore a white t-shirt, black jeans, and black Converse with taps on them.
1991 - "Strike It Up." Ok, so this year was kind of major for me. I dropped my hula hoop. In the show. In the first minute. It rolled across the stage, off the stage, and up the aisle of the theater. I wanted to die. Instead, I finished the dance, then ran off stage in tears. I cannot hear that song today and not get all nervous inside.
1992 - "The Rhythm." This was a fun one. This year, we also did a number from Will Rogers Follies called "Give a Man Enough Rope." We were dressed as cows. Complete with horns and a tail. You will never see that, internet. Ever.
1993 - I don't remember the name of this one. My friends and I thought we looked like hookers. I remember being terribly annoyed that we took the pictures this year in this costume rather than our other one. Our other number this year was from the show Crazy for You. We wore the same costumes they did in the show, complete with blonde curly wigs. It was great. And one of my favorite numbers.
1994 - "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." Our other number this year was called "Mardi Gras," and I hated it. I think I must have skipped the pro photos this year. It was my last year of dance and I was kind of getting over it. Although I did absolutely love this number. This is the only picture I have. Look carefully and you can see where my mom circled my head.
So there you are, world. My tap days in all their glory. I do miss dance sometimes, and have looked for tap classes in the area, but I worry that I'll never find anything as good as One Broadway so I never actually end up taking a class. It's silly, I know. That's me, though. Picky to a fault.
*Sorry for the crappy photos. They're pictures I took with my phone of the pictures my mom pasted in my baby book. That's why they're so dark and grainy.
Oh my gosh these pics are awesome!
ReplyDelete