Ringing in the Holiday Season!

Hopefully if you are reading this blog you know that i love to dance!

I am not sure if love is even enough to describe it.
I am obsessed with it! I think about it all the time.

I am so grateful my mama put me in dance classes since I was a young tot.
I am grateful I experienced so many different types of dance by the time I had come to BYU including: ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, irish, and modern.

One type of dance I had not done yet was folk.
My freshman year I took an Irish class and gradually started taking more classes in the folk department. I loved it but for some reason I never auditioned for the folk teams.
Maybe I thought I was too busy.
Maybe I was too involved in Club Style.
Maybe I was just scared to audition.
I think the last one wins. It's true. I was scared.
And I can't tell you how much I regret not auditioning sooner than January 2009.
All of those people I was taking classes with my freshman year are now on PAC [Performing Arts Company] and traveling all over the world. That could be me. Even though I am progressing fast in the program, time is still against me. Unless I go to grad school or prolong my undergrad [both sounding appealing right now.]
Anyways...this is not the point of this post.

The point of this post is that Christmas Around the World will forever be ingrained in my mind, soul, and heart.
It was one of the most amazing and fun performances I have ever done.
It was the 50th Anniversary of CAW so it was a really special show.
We had alumni come back and they either danced with us or watched us from the audience.
I met people that danced anywhere from 1960-2004. It was so fun to hear some of their stories and memories and realize I was doing the exact same thing...just at a later time.
Mary Bee Jensen was a huge part of it. Mary Bee is the founder of the folk dance program at BYU and she is one of the cutest ladies I have ever met. She is 92 years old, but I have yet to see her without her heels and pearls on. She's classy and inspires me to be as alive as she is.

My team did a dance from the Philippines called "Tiniklin." We had to dance in and out of these bamboo poles that were slamming together in rhythmic patterns. I have many a bruise from my feet being in the poles when they clanged together. But it was worth it. [We also did Mexican in the show opener and I got picked for a special dance they brought back. They used to do a girl's Ukrainian dance every CAW, but they haven't done it for the last 25 years. The alumni wanted it so they brought Kozachak back and only picked 12 girls to do it...and I was picked! I was so privileged!] Preparing for CAW really brought my team, 10 RB, together. We had to work together, spend time together, and move forward together for the same cause. I love my team and I am so sad that we're getting split into different teams next semester. I've met amazing people on that team!

However, the highlight of CAW was the spirit I felt. Oh gosh...I might start crying thinking about it.
Yep...here it comes...
Wow. I can't explain it.
The folk dance program is so into BYU's mission statement of being spiritually inspiring. There is not one practice that doesn't start and end with a prayer. Not one rehearsal that doesn't have a devotional. And every CAW rehearsal I heard how we are celebrating the birth of our Savior and it is our job to convey that to the audience. CAW is a celebration of the most important event in history, minus the Atonement. I felt the spirit constantly while being at the Marriott Center. This program has a special spirit about it. The people, the dancing, the music, the relationships, the testimonies...everything contributes to the spirit I felt there and I am so grateful I was able to be a part of it!

You always get the question: "What is your biggest regret in life?"
There could be a couple options to the answer for me.
But none tops me not getting involved in folk dance sooner.
That really is my biggest regret.
In that same breath though, I know everything happens for a reason.
There was a reason I didn't do it sooner.
There were obviously things I had to learn that were vital to my life that I would not have had if I had been in the program sooner.
So all I can do is enjoy the time I do have and be grateful for the opportunities I already have had.
I performed at the Marriott Center for thousands of people in one of the biggest dance shows BYU has to offer! Me...I did.
My testimony has been strengthened, my love of dance has grown, and my gratitude for my Savior has increased.

Hoorah for folk dance!