This year Nicco begged to be in dance again, he has loved dance since the day he began. He’s got good rhythm, loves to move, and feels the music in a way that makes him so happy. The only trouble is, this year was the first time if he registered in dance, he would have to miss one out of every two hockey practices. Hockey hadn’t begun yet so he didn’t care at all or understand the commitment he was making. Plus, most of Nicco’s best friends are girls so Nicco just wanted to be with his friends and have a good time.
Dance started and after about a month, Nicco was not feeling it. I’m not sure why, he just didn’t enjoy it like he did last year, likely because it was a lot less tumbling and playtime, and more focus on learning form and actual dance numbers. Then hockey started and every Tuesday Nicco would beg to miss dance so he could go to hockey practice. Every week we told him no, every week he argued and whined, but he made a choice and his choice was dance. We would remind him it’s fine if he changes his mind next year, but this year he is following through with his commitment. The season was long, the griping was endless, BUT each time we picked him up from dance he had a big smile and was glad he went.
Last year with Covid there was no dance recital, this year there would be, plus two competitions and because he is a year older, his age group would be doing three dance numbers. The last month before competitions began, rehearsals were more intense and Nicco was needing to practice a lot more at home. We danced one on one with some friends just to nail down the dances as much as we could. Suddenly, Nicco’s attitude began to change. Now he was competing – he wanted to hichie-coo the cleanest, smile the biggest, and dance the hardest. He practiced, practiced, and practiced some more.
At the recital, I was scared Nicco would be nervous on stage, forget his moves, or become insecure being the only boy in their group. The opposite happened. He soaked up every second on stage, he loved the accolades that came with being the only boy, and he worked even harder as his competitions approached. At competitions he shined, he couldn’t have had more fun if he tried. He loved all of it, getting ready with his friends, practicing backstage, the adrenaline of nerves – it was as if he was made for this.
As the dance season ended Nicco told us that was some of the most fun he has ever had. He said he didn’t realize how amazing competitions would be and he would absolutely sacrifice hockey again if it meant he could do this all over again next year. We will give him till fall to see what he officially decides but this year it seems Nicco caught the dance bug even more and I definitely foresee a lot of dance in his future.
Bountifully Blessed 